Baby Steps
by MusicBaby1013
Summary: Marley was curious. Her curiosity lead to trouble. Will she find a way out? This story contains both the sexual & nonsexual sides of age-play. If these subjects offend you do not read.
1. Chapter 1

**MASSIVE MASSIVE thanks go to Nayafan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for all of their help and inspiration. This story deals with Age-Play in several forms. It starts as a kink wanting to be explored, and morphs ever so slightly into a form of therapy. I hope you all enjoy this and know that this is my very first Glee fic, so please be gentle. Reviews are more than welcome and only constructive criticism please.**

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><p>Shannon Bieste took a deep breath once she hung up the phone. She then opened her lap top and began going through her email. The files had been waiting for her, since eight am, and she had another two hours to make a decision. She was interrupted ten minutes later when she heard a knock at the door.<p>

"Coach, can we talk please?" Santana asked.

"What's up pun'kin?" Shannon asked gesturing for Santana to have a seat.

"I'm not complaining, I mean I am, but I'm not," she said.

"Spit it out Santana," Shannon encouraged.

"I'm tired of spanking people, and whipping them, and talking down to them. It was fun in the beginning, but I can't find new ways to challenge myself, or them. Berry is always going on about how you have to find something new. I can't find anything new. One bare ass now looks just like the next, what am I going to do? I don't want them complaining. This job, is by far one of the cooler ones I've ever had, it beats waitressing, the tips are way better, the pay is a ton more, I get to help out my friends and if you tell them I said that I will hurt you, and yet I'm bored. Nothing about this job is challenging me any more and I don't know what to do about it," she rambled.

Shannon was quiet for a moment and let Santana finish her rambling. "Alright," she said after a moment. "How much of a challenge do you want?" she asked and Santana raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding what was being asked of her.

"Santana, I am in a very powerful position, with a lot of contacts and if you are looking for a challenge, I will most definitely give you one. It will be a full time challenge in the beginning, and assuming all goes well, you'll eventually be able to get back to working here," she said.

"You're firing me?" Santana asked her eyes going wide and her voice taking on a very defensive tone.

"You will listen, or you will be spanked, that has never changed," Shannon said seriously.

_Two years ago, Shannon Bieste had packed up and moved to New York City, and contacted her best friend Beth. "Beth, I need a job, whatever you have, where ever you have it," she'd said._

_"I will get you a job and if you do well, you can help me expand my business," she smiled._

_"Expand?"_

_"Yes. We are friends Shannon, you know I run a dominatrix ring for lack of a better term. I need an office manager and a new dominatrix. My clients are starting to get a little bit bored. We need fresh talent and fresh "victims"," Beth explained._

_"Whatever it is, sign me up," Shannon said happily._

_It had taken three weeks for Shannon to get the business six new clients per day and three new Mistresses to join the circle. All were well trained with years of experience under their belts. They were women in the late forty's to early fifty's, but not a single one of them showed their age. The clients were thrilled and just as Shannon booked the newest client, Beth came around the corner._

_"I came to give you a raise," Beth smiled handing her a check and Shannon nearly choked as she stuttered out a polite thank you. "You never struck me as a person with no words," Beth teased._

_"I've never seen that many zeros before," she said honestly._

_"Hard work, is to be rewarded," Beth told her._

_"And disobedience is punished," Shannon smiled, pointing to the phrase on the stationary on her desk. That phrase was also emblazoned on a plaque out front behind the receptionist desk where a very pretty young lady named Nicole sat, answering phone and setting up appointments, collecting payments, and greeting the customers when they walked in._

_"Very good my friend," Beth smiled. "Okay, serious talk though. I want some younger people. Younger Mistresses, and younger clientele," Beth explained and Shannon grabbed a piece of paper to take down notes to get all the information right. "Mistresses first, I will not send a girl in untrained. Training will be paid, five hundred dollars a week, advancement and a raise will be determined once training is finished. Training will be done at my discretion. If I don't like how she is progressing or I think she is going to be in danger, I will pay her and help her to move on. I want girls who want this too. Girls who are looking for a challenge. Age requirements are twenty two through twenty seven, strong, confident, willing to work," Beth said and then rattled off a few more details._

_Shannon nodded, took down all the information and set up an ad. It was only three days later when a very familiar name showed up on her email. She replied with a smile pulling at her lips. This was going to be perfect, she was sure of it. "Please come to the following address at four pm sharp. You will enter building and take the elevator to the tenth floor. We will discuss everything in person. She pressed send and then picked up the phone, dialing to the front desk. "Yes Miss Shannon?" Nicole answered._

_"I've set up an appointment at four o'clock Nicole. Expect a raven-hair latina with a high horse attitude. I only ask two things. Don't tell her my name, and be sure she reads the sign behind you," Shannon told her kindly._

_"Yes Miss Shannon," she smiled._

_Two hours later the very same raven-haired Latina showed up in the waiting room. It was 3:47 and Nicole smiled. A punctual person, this was a great sign and she loved how young this woman looked. "Fill this out please," Nicole said handing her the paperwork and then excused herself. "She's here Miss," Nicole smiled. _

_"Wonderful, as soon as it's filled out, escort her back here please," she said._

_Nicole nodded and left the room. She sat down and after a moment the girl handed Nicole the paperwork. "Santana, lovely, thank you," she smiled. "I've been asked to show you this sign," Nicole said gesturing behind her and Santana read it carefully. _

_"Hard work, is to be rewarded. Disobedience will be punished," Santana read out loud, and she nodded._

_"Just do your best to remember it," Nicole smiled and lead Santana back to Shannon's office._

_"It's nice to see you again Santana," Shannon said and she smiled as Santana's jaw hit the floor in surprise._

_Santana had been in training for two days and now her attitude was starting to come through. She was with Beth and had given her just a little too much lip and was quickly asked to repeat the company phrase._

_"What the fuck, now?" Santana asked._

_"Quickly before I double your punishment," Beth said._

_"Are you kidding me?"_

_"Now we'll work on triple," Beth said simply, keeping her calm the entire time. Santana, in her stubbornness however had pushed much too far and was given twenty whacks on the bare, over Beth's lap, with a ping pong paddle. Shannon was crushed, she had thought for sure Santana would have done so much better. Santana loved control, but lucky for her, Beth saw something she loved. "Alright Santana, we're going to sit and let you calm down and then you and I are going to have a very serious talk. You have a lot of promise and I don't want to let you go, but if you continued to test me too much, you will be dismissed," Beth explained._

Santana's body reacted a bit and she squirmed at the memory of being spanked. She would much prefer to be on the giving end, than the receiving end. "I'm not firing you, we're doing well, you've done well for the club, but I have a new challenge for you, as long as you are serious, and I mean deadly serious. It will require one hundred percent of your time, it's very serious," Shannon explained. "You're going to have to be out of the club for a good while, but I with all the good you've done for the club, I'll be able to give you your base earnings without issue. Consider it a work from home position," she said.

"What does it entail? Miss Beth likes me to know all the facts before I jump in," Santana said and Shannon smiled.

"I'm proud of you Santana," she smiled. "Alright, tonight after your last client, come pick up this file, take it home, and be sure to let Kurt and Rachel read it. They do not have to participate, but they have to be aware of it," she said seriously and immediately Santana's face fell. Whatever it was, it was truly serious, because from the first day, Shannon had informed Santana that Kurt and Rachel were to know as little details as possible. Now she wanted them to know every detail.

Santana went home after dealing with her client, mumbling about needing a shower. She let herself into the apartment and sighed. Rachel was in the shower, doing scales and Kurt was on the couch, watching one of his DVR'd shows. "Hey Santana," he called to her, turning just briefly to smile at her.

"Hey. I need you to read this, and then you need to tell me what you think," she said handing him a small stack of paper in a blue file folder.

"Homework?" he asked her.

"It's for my job. How long has she been in there and who cooked dinner?"

"Ten minutes so far and I did. Beef stew, I left your plate in the oven, we didn't know when you were going to be home," he said.

"Good, thank you, read please. It's very important," she said seriously and Kurt immediately turned off the tv, picked up the folder, went to the table and sat down to read it. "Now?" she asked him.

"You asked, I'm doing, you've got a weird look on your face," he told her. "How's Coach?" he asked.

"She's fine, but she's the one who wants you read that," she told him and he looked at her funny.

The scales stopped and five minutes later Rachel was in the kitchen, in her robe. "Hey, did you talk to Coach about challenging your self?" she asked with a happy smile. "Oh and add pepper to that," she told her pointing to the stew.

"It's fine!" Kurt said.

"And I'm telling you, it isn't," Rachel said as they two bickered.

"Enough!" Santana said in her mistress voice.

"Great, now you riled her up and she's gonna spank us!" Kurt said poking Rachel in the ribs and Santana actually laughed.

"I talked to Coach. You and Kurt have to read that file, and let me know what you think, and then I have to report back."

"Why?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Heavy stuff. I'm getting a promotion or a challenge, or something, but apparently you two have to be either on board, or at least okay with the situation. I read it, I understand, mostly. You two have to make the call now."

Kurt looked at Rachel and went to hand her the folder. Rachel shook her head. "I'll read it, but you came to me, telling me you wanted a way to challenge yourself. You said you were losing your drive, and passion, and I'm not going to stand in your way."

"Read the file, before you commit to that," Santana said and she sat down to eat the stew. She took one bite and smirked at Kurt, reaching for the pepper.

Shannon sighed and looked at Santana. "They are really sure?" she asked.

"Berry read it twice with tears streaming down her face. She went through an entire box of tissues. Lady Hummel says he wants to help, but he doesn't know how and will take his cues from me."

"And what are your concerns?"

"That I don't break her any further than she already is," she admitted.

"I'm proud of you Santana. Let's go to the hospital and I will explain more once we get there," she said.

It was a standard hospital. White walls, chemical smell, and tons of people walking around in varying colored scrubs. "You know what age play is, you were Nanny to George once, remember?" she asked as she signed both she and Santana into the guest log and Santana grimaced but nodded.

"He was disgusting. He messed himself on pur," she started and then looked at Shannon. "She wants that?" she asked horrified, not wanting to do deal with any more bodily functions than normal.

"Calm yourself," Shannon said. "No," she said once Santana was a bit calmer. "She doesn't want that, she is damaged Santana. She got herself into a terrible situation, she has been broken and abused. Right now she can't control it, it's part of why she'll be working with you. She has to learn how to do pretty much everything all over again."

"So she didn't choose age play?"

"She did."

"I don't understand, stop talking in riddles," Santana said and very quickly Shannon pulled her into the nearest bathroom and spanked her bottom firmly only once.

"Finish it Santana, Hard work is rewarded," she coached and with a grumble and sigh, Santana continued the statement of disobedience is punished. "You are not being respectful or patient, you know those are key and if you want this challenge, you're going to need to learn to get it together and fast. You will not go into that room thinking you know more than you do. You need to read over this file again, and truly understand it, then and only then will we go up that hospital room. This is your absolute last chance," she said seriously.

"Yes Coach," Santana said meekly and took the file, standing up to read the file.

"Sit!" Shannon ordered her and with a frown and a wince, Santana did as asked.

The nurse walked in and very carefully spoke to her patient. "Marley honey, it's Emma sweetheart, do you remember me?" she asked her and Marley looked at her, working her jaw around, feeling nothing but sore inside, and nodded slowly. "Can you try using your words please love?" she asked gently and Marley didn't say anything at all, she just stared. "Alright, maybe later," Emma said. "Now, I know you don't like this, but I have to change you, you're going to get a much worse rash if I don't," she explained and immediately Marley burst into tears.

Her long brown hair was quickly plastered to her face with a mix of sweat and tears and all she did was whimper and squirm and Emma tried to talk to her but Marley couldn't hear her. Her mind was brought back to the time where nothing but pain and torture happened. Her body started to shake and tremble as the memories kicked in and Emma worked quickly so as to minimize the shock that Marley was in. "Alright Marley, all done, all done, shhh," she cooed sweetly and gently fed Marley some ice chips. Marley coughed and sputtered but finally calmed down.

"Well honey, Dr. Martinez says that he's found you a new home. He's done a proper screening for both you and the place we want to put you in and you're going to be in very good hands now. Nothing like what happened to you at the last place will happen to you here honey," she told her, but Marley was not paying any attention. She had slipped into a full blown little girl space. Having been changed always set her back and Marley was now just lying in bed terrified. Emma sighed and continued to speak. Marley wasn't focused at all, but Emma still spoke to her as if she was fully aware of what was going on. She just hoped that something would get through. "You're a beautiful girl with a bright future ahead of you Marley and I hope one day you find the person who will nurture you the right way," Emma told her. She said it to her every time they spoke.

"Dr. Martinez, Shannon Bieste, we spoke on the phone," she said extending her hand.

"Yes Ms Shannon, lovely to meet you and you are Santana I take it?" he asked. Santana bit back her snarky comment, and simply nodded with a tight smile. "It's lovely to meet you as well. I'd like to introduce you to Marley. She'll be released in a few days, until then, I'd really like for you to spend as much time as you can with her, here at the hospital. It is critical that you bond with her, that she learn to trust you. I've talked to all her therapists and while they aren't happy with it, they understand that you're going to have to create a bond somehow," he explained. "Do you have any questions?" he asked.

"A million, but I don't know where to start," she said honestly.

"That is complete understandable," he said and he stood up. "Follow me, you can meet her therapists. She sees April for speech and Joe for physical therapy," he said. "I've explained everything to them, and they are going to have you sit in during their sessions. Marley should be ready for speech right about now, so why don't we go see her."

They walked into a room and Marley's eyes went wide. Santana was striking and Marley saw something in the young girl that immediately felt safe. The hard jaw line, the strong attitude, the confidence that oozed out of her body, it was a lot to take in, but Marley immediately understood that this was a girl who got what she wanted. She started to cry immediately. If this girl wanted her, and wanted to treat her the way Terri had, there was no way that Marley could survive another person who was just going to torture her. She had sores all over her body and she couldn't move.

"There she is, Marley this is Santana, can you say that?" April asked in a kind and cheery voice and Marley said nothing. "Come on Marley, let's practice, say, San, tan, ah," April coached and Marley still said nothing.

"I read her file, maybe she's too sore to speak," Santana said. "My name isn't the easiest," she said seriously walking into the room.

"I'm just trying to get her to say anything at all Santana, and if she's going to live with you, she's going to have to communicate somehow," April said.

"She has sores all over the inside of her mouth, and yet you think talking the way to go? Give her hand gestures, give her signals, make her beat the damn floor, but you don't make her talk in order for her to communicate when she's that's sore," Santana scolded and Shannon went to scold her, but Dr. Martinez stopped her.

"Let her do this, she's being protective, Marley needs to see that," he said softly.

Santana straightened her spine and walked over to the chair where April was. "If she has to communicate with me, then I get to dictate the rules," she said seriously. Marley looked on with something that was a mix of fear and awe. She hated speech lessons with April, which Santana had now stopped, but she also didn't know what Santana was going to do to her.

Santana picked up a bottle of lotion and showed it to Marley. "I'm just using this, my hands are dry, so I'm going to sit here and tell you a little about myself. If you want to tell me something, just stop me," she said and began to put lotion on her hands, purposefully using too much. Shannon had seen her do this on the closed circuit at the club, but usually it was to lube the guy up and torture him into an orgasm and then stop him from coming, so that his final release was more than memorable.

"Well, let's start with something easy. My name is Santana. When I was a little girl, I couldn't say my name, so I would say Tana. You can call me that. My little cousin, when she was little, she's now twenty, she calls me Sanny. My grandmother used to call me Garbage Face, but my parents put a stop to that when I got to kindergarten. If it's easy for you to say San, or Sanny, or Tana, or Santana, I'll take any of those names okay?" she asked and then looked down at her hands. "Oh, I have too much, are your hands dry, do you want to try some lotion?" she asked and to everyone's surprise, Marley nodded her agreement. For the next ten minutes she massaged Marley's finger tips because the rest of her hands were covered in bandages.

"You rest, I'll be back," Santana said once she finished and then excused herself to the bathroom, where she promptly threw up and cried. Marley was broken and now she had to fix her. She stared at herself in the mirror for five minutes, trying to breathe and pull it together before returning. She looked at Shannon and smiled. "I needed a minute," she said.

"You took ten, and I'm proud of you," she said.

The next day, Santana was back at the hospital and went straight to Marley's room, smiling at her when she walked in. "Hi Marley, do you remember me? I'm Santana, I met you yesterday," she said. Marley didn't move too much, but she moved her eyes to the bottle of lotion and then back to Santana. "That's right, I massaged your fingers yesterday. I could do that again if you like," she offered and Marley didn't say anything or move. "Okay, so I know that this April woman is making you talk and I know you don't want to, but we do need to communicate somehow. How about this. A quick blink of your eyes will mean yes and a long one will mean no. I will demonstrate for you," she said moving a little bit closer so she was in Marley's complete vision. "So what do you say Marley, do you and Santana have a deal?" she asked her and after a few moments of thought, Marley gave a quick blink and Santana beamed. "You're amazing Marley, thank you for trusting me," Santana said and Marley looked a bit surprised.

Terri had never thanked her before for anything. Terri did what she wanted and left and that was that. Marley seemed to think for a moment and Santana gave her time to process whatever it was that was going on in her head. "Let me know when you're ready Marley, then I'll put more lotion on your hands okay?" Santana asked and Marley blinked and Santana moved into the chair next to the bed. "Whenever you're ready Marley, just blink," she said kindly and after five minutes passed, Marley finally blinked. Santana picked up the lotion and smiled gently massaging it into her fingers.

"I wanted to tell you a few things today, but I don't want to overwhelm you, so I"m just going to talk to you and if it gets to be too much you can let me know and I'll stop. "First off, I feel like I should tell you about me, since I know a lot about you," she said and Marley's eyes flashed with shock and her body went tense. "Well not all about you, just about what happened to you before you came to the hospital. So I'm going to tell you that I'm a mistress," she said and Marley felt tears spring to her eyes immediately. "Shhh, it's alright," Santana said sweetly and she stilled her hands and just let Marley calm down. "Just breathe, you're okay," she assured her.

"See, here's the thing when I graduated high school, I went to college in Kentucky, I'm originally from Ohio. College wasn't for me," she said honestly. So I left college and went back home for a little while. About a month later I got a call from my friend Kurt. He and my other friend Rachel live here in New York. Berry, that's what I call her, got herself into a slight situation and Kurt was concerned for her, so naturally he called our friend Quinn and myself. We talked sense into Rachel and at some point I decided that New York might be the place for me. I came to New York and got a job as a waitress, but I just wanted more. I won't lie to you Marley. It's not worth it. I like control. I love the feeling I get, and after the training I went through, I am very good at my job. I'm good at control Marley. I like being in charge, and I like the powerful feeling that comes with it," she explained and Marley had tears running down her face, she was scared now. Santana was going to be just like Terri, she wasn't safe, and now she was in such a position that she couldn't even communicate she didn't want anything at all. Finally she remembered something and closed her eyes and Santana stopped all movement and all talking.

Marley left her eyes closed and let the tears fall and Santana waited patiently. "I didn't mean to scare you Marley," she said taking her hands away completely, she had to give Marley space, if she didn't the poor girl was going to go into shock, she was sure of it. "I don't believe in lying Marley, that's why I'm being as honest as I can with you," she said and after five minutes Marley opened her eyes and carefully looked to Santana. "I'm going to get some tissues and help you wipe your eyes," she said and Marley gave a quick blink. Santana smiled and nodded. "You're a super good listener Marley, I hope that everyone tells you that. I've known you for less than twenty four hours and already we have a communication system. You follow my rules very well. I will always, always, always reward good behavior," she said and Marley let out a soft cry. Her mouth was starting to hurt and she wasn't sure what to do about it.

"That's a bad sound Marley, and I will help, but I need to know what's wrong," she said and Marley carefully opened her mouth and continued to cry. "I don't know how to fix that Marley, I have to get help for you," she told her and left the room quickly, going to the nurses desk and demanding someone to come check on Marley. Marley heard her raising hell and wasn't sure what to think. Why was Santana so intent on helping her.

Marley was awake now. She didn't remember going to sleep. She just remembered a lot of yelling before hand and crying. She was always crying lately. Everything hurt, but still, she wanted to not cry any more, at least for more than an hour. She looked up at the door when she caught something out of the corner of her eye and was surprised to see Santana.

"You're awake again," Santana smiled. "Do you remember me? Do you remember Santana?" she asked and Marley blinked quickly. "You are amazing Marley, I'm very proud of you. I want to reward you for good behavior, do you think I could do that?" she asked her and Marley didn't respond. She didn't know what a reward was. She knew what used to happen to her, but she was clueless when it came to Santana. Santana thought for a moment and then smiled. "I should tell you what the reward is shouldn't I? let's start from the beginning then. Do you remember before when I told you I was a Mistress and I went through training?" Marley blinked quickly. "Well during my training, I was taught to know as much as I could before I jumped into anything at all. You are a very sweet girl and you have been listening very well. So as a reward I want to give you something. I went down to the gift shop and I found this," she said producing a little beige teddy bear. "See?" Santana asked with a smile and Marley started to pout and looked scared. "I messed up?" Santana asked her and Marley didn't respond, she didn't even blink. She wanted that teddy bear more than anything, but there were two problems now. First was that, she didn't know how long she was going to be able to keep it and secondly, it meant Santana knew she liked childish things at the very least. "Okay Marley, I'm going to put this teddy bear right here next to you and I"m going to get your file out of my bag and I'm going to read it to you," she said pulling a blue file out from her big black bag.

_Rachel pushed her tears away and handed the file back to Santana. "You can't say no, you can't," Rachel told her._

_"I can't say yes if you're going to fall apart though," Santana said. "I won't do anything to make you or Lady Hummel that uncomfortable," she said seriously._

_"It's a sad story," Rachel said and Santana sighed, nodding in agreement. "Here's what I see. I see a girl who has found out something about herself and went to who she thought was a professional to live out her fantasy. We're living out our fantasies."_

_"Ours do not include pacifiers," Santana said._

_"That's not the point and you just had three thermometer pacifier things delivered to this house yesterday, so, not the best example," Rachel said strongly._

_"To bring them to work. Make a point Berry!" Santana said seriously._

_"You came to me and said you wanted a challenge. It's here, staring you in the face, and you are the person who will be able to help her understand right from wrong, you do it all the time," Rachel said and Santana went to say something but Rachel held up her hand. "I"m not finished," she said. "You have to help her and find a way to show her that she can have this little girl life that she seems to want and that it does exist in a safe environment. I do not understand the whole dominatrix deal you have going on Santana, but you are very good at it. Take her into your care and show her that it's possible. I'll help where I can," Rachel said. "I'm done now," she said after a few beats of silence and Santana simply smiled and wrapped her in a hug._

_"You tell anyone about this and I'll kill you," she whispered._

_"No one would believe me," Rachel giggled hugging her friend back._

"This report is from Dr. Marsden. After careful review of the evidence that was gathered at the scene of the crime, I've determined that our victim has used pacifiers filled with vinegar. I'm not sure if this was by force or by choice, but if the patient wishes to continue with pacifiers, it must be introduced slowly and no sour liquids should be introduced to the soft tissues of the oral cavity. Also, by the same standard, diapers appear to have been by force. A victim who chooses to use them would only have done so, to this degree, if they were suffering from severe mental instability. The rashes were covering the entire right glute, the medial half of the left glute, deep into the vaginal cavity and the beginnings were scene on the outer edges of the anus. I suspect there was some rectal bleeding that lead to that specific rash, however, until the patient is fully communicative, this is still speculation. The patient shows normal nerve function, even during sedation and after spending several hours with Dr. Holiday, it is of the medical opinion that Marley is of sound mind and only wanted to explore some form of sexual entertainment that got ended up going beyond her control," Santana read.

She was quiet for a few moments, put the folder away and then looked at Marley. "I know you aren't ready to talk yet Marley, but I do understand that you want something more out of life Marley. I can see that you want to explore, and I will help you do that. I think that is why Coach, well Miss Beth, actually," she said pausing and taking a deep breath. "Marley, I've been "assigned" to you, for lack of a better term and I want you to understand that while you are scared and that's okay, you are safe. I will keep you safe," Santana said and after a moment Marley gave a quick blink.

"Thank you for your permission," Santana told her. "So now I want to get back to your reward, do you remember? I bought you something for your exceptional behavior and listening skills. I'm very proud of you, so I got you something I thought you would like. It doesn't have a name, that's something you get to give it. It's just a small little bear that this little girl can keep with her, whenever she wants, so she knows that she's being rewarded for good behavior. That's what this represents Marley okay?" she asked and again Marley gave a quick blink, indicating her understanding.

"Good girl," Santana smiled. "Now, I'm going to stay with you and massage your hands some more before Mr. Joe gets here. I hear you have physical therapy soon and you're just working on moving your arms today," she said. Marley looked confused and Santana smiled. "I told you Marley, I like control. I like being in control, I like the feeling it gives me. Knowing everything I can about you, while I'm with you, is a form of control. I made a promise to protect you and if I don't know all the details, I can't help, and I don't get the control. Make sense?" she asked. Marley blinked and Santana smiled. "You get a kiss now," she said and laid gentle lips on Marley's forehead. "I'm very proud of you sweetheart," she said, trying the nick name out for the first time.

On the third day, Santana sat with Marley for an hour before speech therapy. The lotion was worked into her fingers and now her wrists as they had just become uncovered and Marley moaned softly the entire time. It felt good to have Santana take care of her, but the new sensations she was experiencing were a little bit overwhelming. On this day, Santana chose to talk about Rachel and Kurt. "If you choose that you want to continue living with me, you need to know about my room mates. They know about you," she said and Marley had fear run through her body. "Calm down honey, calm down, just breathe for me. It's alright, it's okay that they know, they're going to have to know if you choose to come live with me, with us really. I will always protect you. They will not tease you, they will not make fun of you. They will find out a way to help you even, as long as you let them," Santana explained and Marley started to cry. "Oh honey," she said gently and she very carefully moved onto the bed and laid down with the crying girl who was now paralyzed with fear. "Shhh, you're okay, it's alright, I'll protect you Marley, I will always protect you," she told her cuddling in close and Marley cried herself to sleep. "Joe is going to be very mad at Santana for making you so upset and so tired before your session," she said on a soft sigh and laid with Marley for the next hour, until Joe came in and Santana woke her up kindly.

"I know you don't want to Marley, but you can do it and as soon as you do, I will leave you alone for today," Joe told her calmly placing a small ball in her hand. "Just squeeze it honey. A tiny little squeeze and then I go away. Your muscles need to regain some control. Terri was cruel to you and because of that, you aren't able to do the things that I can see you wanting to do. Now I know your friend Santana here has given you a lot of massages to your fingers to help them heal. Wouldn't it be nice to return the favor?" he offered.

"Absolutely not!" Santana said sternly. "You do not guilt her into anything. You ask her what she wants to do and if she agrees then you let her do it. You will not guilt her into anything," Santana said strongly, and Marley looked confused but Santana looked at her. "I made you a promise Marley. I said I would protect you and I will. That includes someone pressuring you and guilting you into something that you aren't quite ready for. You do what he says for you, not anyone else," she told her seriously.

Joe turned to look at Marley and sighed. "Alright Marley, in order to please Santana I will give you this ball so you can squeeze it and I'm going to watch you and help you through it, if you need it," he explained.

Marley looked at Santana and Santana shook her head keeping eye contact with Marley. "Not for me sweetheart. For you. You matter. You're important, everything you do from this point forward has to be for you and no one else," she said and Marley worked her jaw a bit and then looked down at the ball.

"If I make it look like it's for me, then I make her happy, and that will make me happy and she didn't leave when she found out what a freak I am. This is for both of us," Marley thought to herself.

She finally squeezed the ball and then let out a scream of pain. "What the fuck was that?!" Santana asked Joe angrily.

"Her muscle cramped, she squeezed too hard," he said quickly jumping into action, opening her hand and squeezing her muscles in just the right places to get it to relax and very soon Marley had tears running down her face.

Santana moved in quickly and wrapped Marley in a hug. "It's alright baby, it's alright, you did so well. You squeezed the ball, just like he asked you to, when you were ready and you did so well," she praised her. "But as soon as you calm down, Joe he is going to explain everything that just happened, so you don't get scared. Remember how Santana talked to you about being prepared, this is part of that," she said kindly, speaking softly into her ear and then she looked at Joe. "Everything. You tell her everything you can. You let her know what happened and why it happened and if and when it will happen again," Santana ordered and Marley looked sadly at Joe but cuddled into Santana, it was nice to finally be truly protected.

Day after day, while Marley had her speech and physical therapy sessions, Santana was present and made sure that Marley was fully informed of what was going on. Santana had beaten April to the room on this particular day and Marley had tears in her eyes the second Santana walked in. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked with concern and confusion. She knew Marley wasn't going to talk to her, but she always offered the question, wanting to give Marley the chance. "It's okay honey, you're alright," Santana said gently and to her surprise, Marley sat up, screaming in pain and hung on tightly to Santana.

"Ah, ah," Marley whimpered.

"Shhh, I"m here honey, Santana's here, you're safe," she said.

"Ah," Marley cried.

"Shhh, it's alright Marley. Santana's here, you're safe. I will always protect you Marley, you're okay," she told her and Marley hung on tight, shaking, and crying.

It was how Dr. Martinez and April found them five minutes later. "Oh good, you are here. Marley has been crying since you left yesterday," he said.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," Santana said and then she looked at Dr. Martinez, Marley still tight in her arms, now more settled on her lap in what Santana hoped was a comfortable position. "Why wasn't I called?" she asked angrily.

"Eee," Marley cried, resting her head on Santana's shoulder, her posture terrible, her body screaming in pain from the awkward position, but she wasn't going to dare let go.

"I'm sorry?" Dr. Martinez asked.

"If she has been crying since I left, why wasn't I called? Wasn't the entire point of me being here to bond with her? Wasn't I supposed to stop everything I was doing to come be with Marley and help her with her recovery?" Santana asked, her voice sharp and tight.

"Ms. Lopez, please calm down, don't upset her any further," Dr. Martinez said kindly.

"Mmmm," Marley started. "Eeee," she continued and started to cry.

"Ms. Lopez, please put her back in the bed, and we can discuss this in the hallway," Dr. Martinez said.

Santana growled softly and protectively and Marley gripped her tight. Santana carefully stood up and put Marley back in the bed, surprised at how light Marley was and how easy she was to maneuver.

"Ah, me!" Marely said, tears showing up again.

"Shhh, I'm sorry honey. I just have to go into the hall and talk to Dr. Martinez, I'll be quick," she said.

"Me," Marley said tears flowing down her cheeks now. "Ah, me!" she said slowly and then started to get more worked up as Santana left the room. "Me, Ahmee," she cried before finally pushing out the full word. "Mommy!" she squeaked and started to reach for Santana begging her to stay.

"Are you happy now?" Santana asked Dr. Martinez firmly. Then she moved back to the bed and sat down. "Shhh," she said focusing all her attention on Marley. "Marley, look baby, look," she said gently, reaching over and picking up the lotion that she'd been using since the first day she showed up. "Shhh, look, let's talk, very soft, you and Santana, very simple, very easy. You and I have a good thing going don't we?" she smiled at her and Marley hiccuped in response. "Shhh, calm down my lovely," she said. "Let me see those pretty hands, can Santana have them?" she asked.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"Okay," Santana grinned and she looked at Marley who carefully moved her hands closer to Santana. "Tell me sweetheart, do you know my name?" she asked and Marley simply blinked her eyes once. "My sweet girl, I know one quick blink means yes and one long one means no," she said. "Tell me lovely, did you have a good night?" A long blink. "Did you have bad dreams?" A long blink. "Dr. Martinez says you missed me," she said. A quick blink and fresh tears. "Shhh, it's okay Marley, I"m not mad. I'll tell you a secret sweetheart, I missed you too," she smiled at her as she continued to massage her hands. "Alright sweetheart, one more question okay? You said your first word for me just now. That was something very special and I want you to be very sure that you mean it sweetheart," she said and Marley went on edge immediately.

"No, angel, I'm not mad, I'm so proud of you for speaking. You have a beautiful voice. Your first word though, that was Mommy, are you sure you want me to be your Mommy?" she asked her, and instead of a quick blink, it was many quick blinks in rapid succession and Marley started to fight to get up. Her entire body ached, she was opening up sores that had just recently healed and small bits of blood were now coming through the gauze pads taped on her hips but she didn't care, she had to be in Santana's arms where it was safe.

She cried out in pain again but managed to find the strength to roll onto her side, trying to get into Santana's lap. "No Marley," Santana told her. "No baby, we can't cuddle like this, Santana has to lie in bed next to you. We can still cuddle, we can, we will, but Santana has to stay next to you," Santana explained and then climbed into bed before gathering the girl close.

"Mommy," Marley cried and this time she didn't stop. Santana was safe, Santana would make things better, she was convinced of it, and Marley couldn't stop crying tears of relief, knowing that what Nurse Emma had said, had finally come true. She'd found the person to help her grow and be take care of her. She knew this because her hands were healing. Her fingers didn't hurt any longer and all that had come from being in Santana's care. This was her mommy.

That night, Santana went home and found Rachel at the computer. "Berry," she said walking in.

"Hey, how'd it go at the hospital?" she asked.

"Marley said her first word and she moved more than I ever though was possible at this point in the game," Santana said.

"And you're not celebrating that because..."

"She said Mommy."

"That's!" Rachel started excitedly.

"Me, she called me Mommy," Santana said and Rachel looked at her curiously. "I don't know if this is the challenge I want Rachel and now the next step is for her to come live here," she said pacing the apartment, flailing her arms, and looking genuinely concerned, but Rachel let her pace. It was something she'd learned. When Santana got worked up, you just had to wait until she was calm. "What am I going to do now?" she asked finally, sitting down on the bed and looking defeated.

Rachel stood up and moved over to the computer desk. She tapped out a few things on the keyboard and then looked back at her friend. "Come look. I've been doing some research today," she said.

"Why?"

"Because despite what you say, you are not superwoman and I wanted to give you some help," Rachel said rolling her eyes.

Santana pulled up a chair and looked over Rachel's shoulder. "Adult Footies with drop seat," she said and a smile crossed her face. "Getting kinky in your old age there Berry?" she teased.

"No, you goon, it's for your soon to be little popsicle," she said. "I read the file, twice, remember?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Santana said not looking pleased at Rachel's attitude. "Well if she's calling you Mommy, that means she trusts you which means she will be here soon and with her medical issues, she's going to need warm clothes. Look, they have ducks and butterflies and all kinds of cute things. She can stay in role, but still stay warm and if she has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she won't freeze to death," Rachel said.

"She can't even walk," Santana said.

"Well I tried anyway," Rachel said and then excused herself into the kitchen and began cooking dinner. "It's my night, do you want anything special? I have no plans in mind," she said.

"I'm not in the mood for eating," she said.

"That's rare," Kurt said walking into the house and looking at the two girls and then looking at the computer. "You showed her?" he asked Rachel.

"And got shot down," Rachel said with a bit too much perk.

"I didn't shoot you down!" Santana defended.

"You didn't say yes or no. No answer from you means shot down. Four years in high school and five years in New York Santana I know you by now!" Rachel said.

"Retract your claws ladies!" Kurt said quickly noticing Santana was ready to launch into some type of rant about how Rachel didn't know her at all. The truth was, the three of them now knew each other very well. They both deflated quickly and Kurt smiled. "Let's all have dinner and discuss your days later," he offered them. They both mumbled their agreement.

Santana picked at her breakfast and Rachel stood back watching. It was killing her and she couldn't do anything about it until Santana was calm. "I feel you watching me," Santana grumbled.

"I want to help Santana, that's all it is," Rachel said honestly.

"And if I knew what the fuck I was doing I would have you help," she said angrily and honestly.

Rachel sighed and smiled. She hadn't seen Santana insecure in a very long time. She slipped into the chair near her and took her hand. "Listen to me, you got her to say her first word since this horrible ordeal and if I paid attention to you, that's like some gigantic step that even the "professionals" can get her to do. Didn't you say her speech therapist only makes her cry?" she asked and Santana nodded.

"I can't hurt her Rachel," Santana said her face crumbling and Rachel took her chin gently.

"Santana in the time I've known you, you've never failed anyone and that includes me," Rachel told her and Santana scoffed. "You know it's true. You and your psychic mexican third eye saved me from Brody. I told you then I would never doubt you and that includes right now. You fought for me, and now I'm fighting for you, with you," she said and with those simple words, Santana broke down.

Rachel moved into Santana's lap and cuddled her, keeping her close. "You're doing a very good job Santana, please give yourself more credit," she told her.

"I'm not someone's Mommy. I don't know how to be someone's Mommy," she said honestly.

"I think you do. I think you're doing it now," she said.

"With you?" Santana asked with a smirk, wiping away her tears.

"Well not _right_ now, but you are doing it with Marley. You showed her how it's okay to get what she wants and to be safe, you taught her that and isn't that a Mommy's job to teach their children things?" she asked her kindly.

"I can't fail her. They put too much faith in me," Santana whimpered.

"Hey, breathe, and just take it one day at a time okay?" Rachel asked smiling at her.

Santana closed her eyes and nodded, resting her head on Rachel's shoulder as Rachel continued to sit in her lap and play with her hair hoping to soothe her friend.

"What are you doing today?" she asked her.

"Today is more physical therapy. Joe wants her to get her to move her arms so she can feed herself, or at least try, but her mouth is still so raw inside that they still have her on an IV drip and she hates it," Santana said.

"You'll figure it out Santana, you always do," Rachel told her.


	2. Chapter 2

**MASSIVE MASSIVE THANKS to my friends who inspired this, Nayafan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008. I don't know how to make their names blue, can someone teach me please? I want to give them proper credit, meaning link to them, so you can go read their fabulous works. Nayafan, I believe, has been EXTREMELY helpful in getting people to read this story, as they posted a link on their tumblr account! SO very grateful!**

**Secondly to everyone who reviewed, thank you so much, that is SO SO heartwarming to know that my imagination, my creative piece of work, made someone else in this case a few someones entertained. I really appreciate that. I would like to update every Sunday from now on, but know that I'm not as far ahead of myself as I'd like to be, and I don't want to put up so much all at once and then leave you all hanging, so I just ask that you be patient. Also I put "blocks" in this story to separate the sections. I like the little tildas, a small group of them to do so, but this site, apparently does not approve of them, so you get full out lines to help break up the story. Sorry about not noticing that on the first chapter.**

**Lastly, I feel I should state this properly. I am very intrigued by age play and all the details that go into it, but in my head it's much more romanticized than it is in real life. I know that I don't have all the information that I want for this story, but I am working on it and what I'm completely unsure of, I either research or don't post. For some people this story will eventually have a high "squick" factor. If bathroom/bodily function details gross you out, then please proceed with caution. If anyone has any concerns about the story, or where I'm taking it, please PM me and I'll do my best to explain things, without giving it all away.**

**Thanks again for the support & encouragement.**

* * *

><p>Santana walked into Marley's room to find her sleeping. This was a good sign. Sleep meant she had worked, she had pushed her body toward recovery and now she was resting. "That's what I want for you, to get better and be happy, that's all I want for you," Santana said softly. She took a seat on the chair next to the bed and looked more closely at Marley, who was not only sleeping peacefully, but had the small teddy bear tucked in tight next to her and Santana smiled. She sat still for about three minutes and then she pulled out her phone and began going over her texts and any emails she had piling up. She did her best to reply to everyone before she went to bed.<p>

"Hello Mistress. I need a session with you. I'm available for you at your convenience. I've been terrible to my self and to my employees, and I need for you to punish me for my discretions." it said and Santana rolled her eyes. "You always mistreat your employees," she said softly to herself. She glanced up quickly and saw Marley starting to wake up, so she put down her phone and smiled. "Hey there big girl," she grinned.

"M...eee," Marley said softly and Santana smiled.

"Do you hurt my sweet girl?" she asked her genuinely. During the night her mouth would dry out and her sores would become very painful in the morning. Marley blinked a yes and pouted. "I'm sorry sweetheart. What should we try. Shall we get some more juice into you?" she asked reaching for it and Marley knew she didn't have too much of a say in this. Something had to be done. Marley drank this juice all the time. No one told her it was pedialyte though, at Santana's request, her very strong request.

_"If you tell her what it is, she will freak. If I show up tomorrow, offer her the juice, and she freaks I'm coming after you, do you understand?" she asked the nurse on duty in her best Mistress voice and apparently it worked, because the nurse simply nodded, made a note on Marley's chart, and then smiled kindly at Santana._

Santana picked up the pitcher and then poured the glass of juice for Marley. "It's the red kind, you like that one right?" she asked her kindly. Marley didn't say anything and Santana really wanted to just talk for her, but that wasn't going to help anyone, so she just stared at Marely, who eventually whined. "No baby, we have a communication system. Do you like the red juice?" she asked her and Marley looked away. Her mouth hurt, at this point she didn't care about anything. "No use in being cranky sweetheart, it's not going to get you anywhere fast. Do you want red juice?" she asked again and Marley turned away and started to cry. "Apparently we did not sleep so well," Santana said. She put the juice down and then crawled into bed with Marley, something that they had both become familiar with.

Santana took her hand gently and spoke softly into her ear. "I think my baby girl didn't get a good night's rest and is very cranky today," Santana said softly. "You squeeze Santana's hand," she started.

"Me-eee," Marley whined.

"Ah, ah, ah, no whining," Santana scholded. "When you're ready to communicate like a good girl, then you squeeze my hand. I will tell you though, that if you wait too long, I'll have to force you. Your mouth is in pain and I don't want to see you suffer any longer. You are currently in control Marley, but if you wait too long, I will assume you are giving control to me and I will take full advantage of it, to get you better as quickly as possible," Santana said. She didn't ask if Marley understood, she knew she did.

"Ma-eeee," Marley whined.

"No whining Marley," Santana said firmly as she continued to pet her hair.

Joe walked into the room and smiled. "Hi Marley. I'm glad to see you awake. We have a few things to do today and I'm glad Santana is," she started.

"Mommy!" Marley whined at him, her voice getting a bit stronger as time passed.

"Stop whining Marley," Santana warned her sternly.

"Oh, is that Mommy?" Joe asked pointing to Santana and Marley blinked once and then squeezed Santana's hand.

"Look at me little girl," Santana said quickly carefully shifting herself so they were eye to eye. "Mr. Joe is here to do your physical therapy. I will stay since I appear to be requested, but if you whine in defiance one more time, I am stepping out of the room until you can calm yourself, do you understand?" she asked and Marley blinked at Santana. Santana gave a sigh and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, now before we start therapy, you are going to drink your juice," she told her and Marley blinked. Santana made a mental note to talk to Kurt and Rachel about Marley's behavior, maybe they would have insight for her.

"Good, that will help," Joe smiled and poured the cup for Marley. "Today we work on you holding a cup and drinking yourself. You're going to be drinking a lot this morning. I'll guide you the first few times and then we'll work up to you doing it yourself. Now, raise your hand if you know Marley, are you right handed or left handed?" Marley didn't raise either hand. "Do you not know?" he asked her and she blinked at him. "That's not so bad, we'll train both," he smiled at her. "It's just muscle memory honey, we'll just make our way to rebuilding the memory, they do remember. If it hurts too much, you let me know and we'll take a break," he explained to her.

* * *

><p>An hour later Marley was in tears of frustration. "You're doing so well Marley, I know it's tough, but you are my most exceptional patient," Joe told her. "I am so proud of you. You're doing wonderful. One more set on the left and then you can rest I promise," he told her. Her bottom lip trembled, but she nodded a bit and looked to Santana, needing her guidance and encouragement.<p>

She wrapped her hand around the cup and began to lift. It was slow and careful. Half way up to her lips the cup began to tremble as her muscles shook. Joe reached out and took her hand. "Good, Marley, very good," he told her. A cramp took over her bicep and she let out a cry. Santana wrapped her arms around Marley's bicep and squeezed it to help ease the pain. Marley let out a whimper but then looked to Santana and just waited for the pain to pass. They were helping her and even she felt the progress she was making and even felt proud. "I'm going to let go Marley and then you can carry on, you can do it, you're almost there," Joe said.

Santana loosened her grip first and then Joe, and Marley moved it toward her mouth. Three quarters of the way and she let out a scream. There was no tension in her arm, just Marley, screaming, in buckets of tears. Santana pressed the page for the nurses station and two came flying in quickly. Everything seemed to get very chaotic very quickly and pretty soon all Santana could hear was Marley, screaming for her Mommy. She moved in close and noticed that the nurses were checking Marley's low back and when the first nurse touched her bottom, she gripped Santana and screamed again.

"Shhh," Santana soothed. "Shhh, I'm right here," she said kindly and covered her ears looking at the nurses. "Someone talk to her. What is going on?" Santana demanded and the second nurse looked at her chart.

"We have to change her, everyone out," the young nurse said.

"Mommy!" Marley screamed.

"I stay!" Santana said seriously and with a sigh, the nurse shook her head but agreed.

Marley hated being changed. It was all too much for her. She had wanted to be someone's baby, to be loved and cared for and tended to, because she no longer had close family to be with. She thought if she could start over, truly from the beginning with someone who wanted her, she would manage to feel that love again, the love of a mother or father that she hadn't felt in the past three years. She never thought that she would actually be back in diapers. She had figured on age two or three. Terri on the other hand had forced her into diapers, against her will, leaving her to sit in her own mess for hours on end, causing a very painful and widely spread rash.

"Mommy," Marley finally squealed, her eyes shedding fresh tears.

"Shhh, I'm right here love, I'm right here. Remember Marley, remember my promise. I won't let anyone hurt you sweetheart," Santana said.

The nurse took a deep breath and looked at Santana. "Jane, out please," she told her colleague. I have this," she told her. "I'm Emma, I've been with Marley since she got here and I will show you how to change her. I hear you're doing really well with her," Emma explained and Santana nodded her understanding. "Marley honey, I'm sorry sweetie, but you have to lay on your back, it's the easiest way to get this done as fast as possible," she said and Marley continued to cry which eventually turned into sobs and Santana looked angrily at the nurse.

"Show me fast, before I figure it out on my own," she said.

"Get her to lay back then," Emma said just as strongly and Santana eased Marley back onto the bed.

"Shhh, I'm sorry baby, Santana is very sorry baby," she said gently.

"Mommy!" Marley wailed and Santana sighed heavily.

"Shhh, I know baby, I know, I'm sorry, Mommy's right here, I'm so sorry sweetheart," she told her gently, over and over, cooing to her while Emma changed her and Marley simply cried. Emma slathered Marley's bottom with lots of cream to help heal her rashes and Marley's sobbing turned to screaming. "Do you have to hurt her!" Santana snapped protectively.

"I didn't hurt her, I'm doing what I can to make her better as fast as possible," Emma told her.

"Please hurry and then I want the two of us to be alone," Santana said and Emma nodded. Santana leaned in close and pressed gentle kisses to Marley's temple. "I won't let anyone hurt you Marley. Not any more. Now you're safe with me," she said. Marley was put in a fresh diaper and the gown was replaced. Emma looked at Santana and spoke kindly.

"You can rest now. Her speech therapist won't be here till much later this afternoon," she said and left them alone.

Marley was still under great distress, breathing rapidly and trembling. "Oh baby," Santana said, her heart breaking in two for the broken girl before her. "Okay, let's get you more comfortable," she said. "Cuddle time for Marley," Santana said and she carefully climbed into the bed behind her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Shhh, I'm here baby, I'm right here and you're safe. I know it hurts, I know. That was a lot of screaming," Santana said keeping her voice light. "Shhh, let's calm down, nice deep breaths, can you breath with San," she started. "Mommy?" she said changing her voice. It was sweeter, gentler. "Yes you can baby, breathe with Mommy," Santana encouraged her and it took some doing but Marley finally calmed.

"Shhh," she soothed swaying lightly from side to side. "Mommy's here. Let's get teddy bear, does teddy bear have a name yet?" she asked and Marley shook her head slowly. "Alright, Mommy's going to call it Teddy Bear and if you want to give a different name you let me know okay?" she asked her and Marley hiccuped, but agreed and Santana felt her get very heavy. "My baby girl, I'm so sorry you hurt my love," she said and she started to sing softly. It took about an hour, but finally Marley was sleeping and Santana took a deep breath. She carefully removed herself and went to the nurse's station.

"Ms. Lopez, we can't do anything about," the nurse started and Santana held up her hand.

"I need to know how to change her. I couldn't do it before. I had to hold her and keep her calm while someone else changed her. If I am to be her Mommy, which I will take very seriously, then I need to know this too," she said kindly, which did surprise the nurse a little bit, but she smiled and nodded.

"I can take you to the supply closet and help you learn on the mannequin," she said.

* * *

><p>Santana dragged herself home and laid down on the couch. Kurt walked over and pulled back her hair that was covering her face. "You're going to suffocate yourself," he told her kindly.<p>

"Come sit," she ordered him wiggling around on the couch and making room for him.

He sat next to her and combed his fingers through her hair to help relax her. "You keep making those faces and creating those worry lines, you're going to look like a prune," he told her with a smirk.

"You're not funny," she pouted at him. It took a moment for her to say more, but eventually she found her strength. "I had to learn to change her," she said and looked at Kurt who seemed to be waiting for more words. "Change her," she repeated.

"Into what?" Kurt asked, not understanding.

"A diaper," she said cocking her head to the side, not understanding why he looked so confused.

"Rewind," he told her. "Start from the beginning."

"I was with Marley for about two hours. We did some communicating and she started whining at me, but she was whining the word Mommy more than anything."

"She trusts you, she wants you to be her Mommy. Rachel told you that last night."

"But she shouldn't. She shouldn't just jump into something she doesn't know, that's what got her into this mess in the first place," Santana said in annoyance.

"Let me ask you something, have you demanded anything from her?" he asked.

"I don't work like that. I find out what they want, we discuss it, boundaries are set, and then we jump into it," she said.

"Then you are showing her, even though it's not through two way verbal communication, that you are safe. She can trust you. She figured that out before anything else, because you showed her," he said.

"I don't like it when you're right," she said.

"I'll make note of that for the future," he smiled. "What happened after her whining?" he asked.

"She had therapy, two muscle spasms and we pumped her so full of pedialyte, that she peed herself and then screamed, and I mean screamed. Bloody murder, I've never heard anyone scream like that," she said. Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Not even when Berry squeals in the shower," she said with a smirk.

"Do you want a sandwich?" he offered her noticing she wasn't ready to share any more.

"I have to get back to the hospital in an hour. They sedated her to give her some true rest," Santana yawned.

"Then perhaps you need to sleep," he smiled and pet her hair.

"Make me a list of lullabies for her," she told him closing his eyes and he smiled once she wasn't looking.

He pet her hair and sung softly. "Black bird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly, all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise," he sang and Santana smiled with her eyes closed.

"Thank you," she said quietly and he nodded and went back to singing, letting Santana catch a nap before she went back to the hospital.

* * *

><p>"I know you aren't really in to this, but she is coming to live with us, so you at least have to meet her. I've told her all about you, but expect someone very shy, and quiet. I can't imagine her saying too much," Santana explained as they walked into the hospital.<p>

"You said she barely says anything," Kurt smiled as he signed his name on the entry log at the front desk.

"Usually, she doesn't. Yesterday though she was very animated. That is until I told her I was bringing you with me. I showed her your picture and she went quiet."

"One crack Santana and I'm out of here," Kurt said seriously.

"Oh relax!" she said taking his hand tightly into hers. "Let's go. I only ask that you be patient with her," she said.

"You will not even know who I am," he smiled at her.

Santana went to the desk on the fourth floor and looked at the nurse. "Where is Marley please?" she asked.

"Speech therapy is now, she's probably giving April a very difficult time, since you aren't with her," Emma offered.

"She gives everyone a hard time. This is Kurt. He is coming with me. He is one of my room mates. Marley has to get to know him," she explained.

Emma nodded. "They moved into room eighteen today. Joe had her on the floor to help with her core strength and April just kept her in there. Good luck," Emma smiled and Santana nodded and went down the hall.

Santana and Kurt walked in to see Marley in tears. Marley wanted to cry out for her Mommy, but there was another person there, that she didn't know and she wasn't going to out herself to this stranger. It was bad enough that April had accidentally heard her speaking and praised her to the high heavens and then decided to ask her for more. She didn't want to do it on someone else's time. Just her own. It sounded wrong to her. She had a sever lisp from all the sores that were still healing within her mouth. It was delicate tissue and the healing process, as far as the doctors could figure, would not be sped up in any way. Marley was just going to have to work at it.

"Come on Marley. You can say it, I know you can," April coaxed. "I just need to hear you count to three," April said. Marley looked to Santana and her eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to do this and she really wished that Santana would save her. Marley fell forward and put her face on the floor. She wasn't even going to try and that was that, she'd decided.

"Marley," Santana said in a warning voice. Marley turned her head toward Santana and Kurt and whimpered quietly. Santana moved to sit behind Marley and helped her up into a seated position. "Marley my love, you know that we all think you have a beautiful voice, so you have to at least try to speak," Santana said kissing her temple and helping her calm down some. Kurt hung back and watched, amazed at how gentle and calm Santana was.

Marley looked over at the blocks April had brought with her. They were simple stacking cups, in bright colors that had numbers on the bottom. They were normally used for movement classes. Joe liked to have things that his patients could graduate and grow with. The cups got larger in size with each increasing number. "Come on sweetheart, tell me what you have to do," she said.

"Mommy?" Marley asked softly.

"Yes baby, you can show Mommy what Miss April wants you to do," she assured her. Marley reached forward and very slowly and carefully edged the cups closer to herself, putting them in numerical order. She carefully tapped them. One. Two. Three. "One two three?" Santana asked her.

"I would like her to count to three for me," April said.

"You can do that sweetheart," Santana cooed softly. Marley shook her head no. She wasn't going to do it. These words meant only more would follow and she sounded horrible. She didn't want to hear herself, or worse yet, let anyone else hear her. Terri had heard her singing once and as punishment, didn't let her talk any more. She had in fact made her worse.

She'd soaked a pacifier in apple cider vinegar and then forced it into Marley's mouth. It was incredibly sour and Marley choked on the strong fumes for a good two minutes before finally calming down. "Babies do not talk and do not sing, ever," Terri said angrily. After that Terri decided to force Marley to have a coated pacifier at some point every day. She never did it at the same time either. Sometimes it was first thing in the morning, to discourage her from speaking during the day and sometimes it was at night, tied into place, so she couldn't spit it out and poor Marley would cry herself to sleep.

"Marley honey, this is not punishment. Your voice is like a muscle and if you don't use it, it's going to get weak and you'll have a hard time communicating at all," April sighed and Marley burst into tears, hiding her face in Santana's shoulder as best she could, crying harder when her diapered bottom rubbed too hard on the floor, burning her already bruised bottom some more.

"Was that really necessary?" Kurt asked quickly and angrily and Santana looked up.

"Excuse me?" April asked.

"Look, I get that you're a professional, but she's a scared girl, a girl who once was told that talking was bad. You can't force her so hard and so fast," he scolded.

"Excuse me, but it's been nearly three weeks," April defended.

"I don't care if it's been three years," Kurt said. "You need to back off a bit. Don't push her so fast. She needs time to accept that your motives are to help her. Obviously she doesn't trust you, so you have to fix it before she'll do what you ask," Kurt said.

"Well it would help a lot more if her Mommy would encourage her to do as I ask," April said and she looked up at the clock. "Alright Marley, today is over. Later today we'll try again," she said. "Santana please explain to her that I'm trying to help her get better," April said and she left the three of them alone.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"I"m here baby," Santana told her kindly.

"I'm going to get a water, do you want one?" Kurt asked and Santana squeaked when Marley gripped tightly to her body, Kurt's voice sending her into a further state of panic.

"Easy love, easy, easy," Santana said gently and she loosened Marley's grip. "Yeah, thanks," she told him and he left the room. "What happened to my sweet baby girl? Why are you so scared honey?" she asked her gently. Marley shook her head and Santana smiled. "No you're not scared, or no you're not going to tell me?" she asked gently giving her a lot of tender kisses to her temple.

"Mommy," Marley said softly.

"Yes baby, Mommy," Santana told her gently and Marley looked over toward where Kurt had been and then looked back at Santana in confusion. "What sweetheart?" Santana asked her kindly. Marley looked at Santana with big eyes wanting an explanation of Kurt but she didn't want to verbally say so. "You know what my love, I don't know what you want, and until you're ready to tell me, I can't really explain anything, so I want to talk to you about my friend Kurt okay?" she asked her and Marley nodded sighing in relief. She hadn't communicated it, but she was getting what she wanted anyway. It was just another reason to trust Santana. Santana was slow and careful and explained everything to Marley as best she could.

"Do you remember when we talked about Kurt yesterday?" she asked and Marley nodded yes. It didn't hurt to nod anymore and even if it did, it didn't matter, because every day it hurt a little less. "I'm glad my baby. So today he came to visit you and get to know you a little. His name is Kurt, and I know that might hurt your mouth, but I want you to try a little bit okay?" she asked and Marley's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Shhh, you're not in trouble sweetheart, I promise. I just ask that you try a little bit," she told her.

Kurt returned a few moments later and found the girls cuddled together and Marley crying. "Hi Marley, I'm Kurt," he said taking a seat far enough away from her to make her feel comfortable and carefully cracked up the water bottle. "I know that Mommy makes you feel safe and that's good you deserve that," he told her. "I don't know if Mommy told you about me, did she?" he asked.

"K-eh," Marley pushed out softly.

"Yes, that's right, my name is Kurt," he smiled at her and Santana beamed. Marley had tried and Kurt did not correct her. "So I brought you some water. Mommy says you like to drink a lot of fluids to help your mouth heal. So I brought you this. I'll give it to you, because I heard you're getting very strong and can hold things on your own now," he said. She nodded slowly and pushed her body into Santana, needing to remind herself that she was in a safe place, with safe people. Kurt even called her Mommy and he didn't talk down to her, the way Terri had for so long.

Marley started to cautiously take the bottle but then stopped. Kurt smiled and looked at Santana. "I can put it here for you," he told her and carefully placed the water bottle down.

"Do you want help baby?" Santana asked kindly going to pick up the bottle for her. With a deep breath Marley picked up the bottle herself and tried not to drop it. "Yaaaay Marley," Santana cheered.

"Wow! Mommy's right Marley, you're getting so very strong, that's awesome," he praised her, smiling brightly and Santana nodded her appreciation and approval. "Yeah, but see now the trick is can you drink from it," he said and Marley frowned immediately. He had been so supportive a second ago, what happened now, she wondered. Santana raised and eyebrow and Kurt simply smiled. "See, when I first drink out of these, every time, every time Marley, I spill water down the front of my shirt. Every time. They always fill it to the tippy top, so when you tilt it to get it to your mouth it dribbles down your shirt. I can't tell you how many times your Mommy and our friend Rachel have smiled and told me to change my shirt, or in one case my pants," he said. Santana's eyebrows shot up to her forehead. In the five years she lived with Kurt, this had never happened. He had just fabricated an entire story, and told it with such conviction that he had Santana wracking her brain trying to remember one incident where this had happened.

"Can we drink the water now please?" Santana asked.

"I bet she does a better job than I do," Kurt said, because he realized now that he had to live up to his story. He had to spill something, he just told Marley it happened every single time.

Marley gave a soft sigh and wiggled in Santana's lap, feeling sleepy all of a sudden. Santana smiled and carefully shifted Marley so that she was sitting sideways and Santana could wrap her arms around her. "Come on baby, I will help you, I promise," Santana told her and Marley nodded her agreement before Santana carefully opened the bottle. "I will help, I promise, but I want us to do this together. You hold the bottle with me okay?" she asked gently.

Kurt watched in awe. He'd never seen Santana like that. This was not the rough and tough girl from high school. This was Mommy Santana and he found he liked this side of her. He didn't know if she was just acting, but he was very impressed with his friend's newly discovered side; or acting skills.

Marley put her hand on Santana's and they brought it to her lips, very carefully, helping her drink and Santana was very careful about controlling how much water Marley took in. Once a quarter of the bottle was gone, Santana put it down and kissed Marley's cheek gently. "I'm very proud of you baby," she told her.

"Okay, my turn," Kurt said. "No laughing okay?" he asked looking hopefully at Marley. She simply blinked at him. Nodding was earned and he hadn't earned it yet.

"You can show her, she blinked," Santana said with a bit of amusement because she knew now that Kurt was going to be wearing his water shortly. He lifted the bottle to his mouth, tipped it a bit too soon, on purpose, and very quickly had a large water spill on his shirt.

"Ugh, every time," he frowned.

* * *

><p>Santana had been consistent for three solid weeks now and finally Marley was being released from the hospital. It was to happen in the next three days and she was doing a lot of preparing and a lot of thinking. "Berry! When are you off?" she yelled from the bathroom as she finished brushing her teeth.<p>

"We're dark the next two days, but I have rehearsal tuesday afternoon," Rachel yelled back. Kurt stayed in his room listening to the girls scream back and forth. He wondered if all women did this. He used to yell for his father, but Burt would hear him and go to him to have the discussion. The same went for Kurt. If Burt yelled for him, he would go and they would talk. He didn't understand the whole yelling thing.

"I need you to come with me to the hospital tomorrow then!" Santana called back.

"Why?" Rachel yelled and then turned on the hair dryer.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh to himself. Rachel asked a direct question. Santana was bound to answer it. Now Rachel was running the hair dryer so she wouldn't be heard, Santana would have to yell louder, still wouldn't be heard, then she'd run over to Rachel and go full blown Lima Heights on her. He stood up and went to go watch. He would never understand women.

To his utter surprise, he found Santana now in the same room as Rachel with a brush in her hand, fixing Rachel's hair and then turning off the dryer. He leaned against the door frame and watched Santana pin Rachel's hair with two small bobby pins and then picked up the brush one last time. "You can't ask me a question and then turn on the dryer so you can't hear my answer," she said and gave her a quick smack to her ass with the brush.

"She's not a sub!" Kurt said quickly.

"Relax, I didn't hurt her."

"She didn't, thank you though," Rachel said and pet the side of Kurt's face. "Okay, now, tell me why," she said and Santana smirked and turned on the hair dryer, moving her mouth while saying nothing. Rachel simply laughed picked up the hair brush and tapped Santana the way she'd been tapped moments ago.

"How do you two ever get anything done?" Kurt laughed and left them alone.

The girls went into the kitchen and Santana started to prepare several small meals, trying to get things in order and talked to Rachel. "I need you to come with me to meet Marley. She's being released in three days. I want her to meet you too. She's met Kurt, she has to meet you too," Santana said.

"I can go tomorrow before rehearsal, or I can go some time today."

"Tomorrow. Today I will be there, but I have my own appointment with Miss Susan," she said.

"Who's that?"

"The head Nanny at the club." Rachel just stared at her curiously waiting for more of an explanation but Santana didn't give one. She simply packed up all her little sandwich baggies and started to put them in her bag that she always took with her when she left the apartment.

"Hold it, get back here! Why are you going to see the Nanny?" Rachel said following her out of the kitchen.

"I'm going to be late for therapy today so walk and talk," Santana said going into her bedroom to find the last few things she was missing.

"Okay, I'm with you, now why are you going to see the Nanny?"

"Do you know who to change a diaper, or "baby proof" an apartment?" Santana asked her as she ducked down to the floor and pulled a box out from under her bed ruffling through it.

"No, but you're not making any sense," Rachel countered.

"Marley is coming to live with us. For all intents and purposes, she's a toddler. I know nothing about toddlers, you just told me you didn't and Lady Hummel would rather not deal with any child unless they are five and older," Santana said pulling out a large piece of fabric and refolded it to fit in her bag. Then she pushed the box back under the bed and pulled out another one. She rummaged through it for a while and as she got closer to the bottom she smiled, pulling out a pacifier and looking at Rachel triumphantly. "Tomorrow, before your rehearsal, you come meet her, no backing out," Santana ordered.

"Not a sub!" Rachel snapped back.

"Sorry," Santana said half heartedly and then she raced out the door.

"Does she know it's her night to cook?" Kurt asked Rachel, who was still looking confused.

"I think so, she wrote dinner on the calender as to what she's making," Rachel said.

"You okay?" Kurt asked noticing something was off with her.

"Yeah, I think so," she said honestly.

"You think?"

"Well I don't know. Santana just pulled out feetie pajamas, a pacifier, packed up a whole bunch of small baggies of food, shoved it all in her bag and told me she was off to see the head Nanny at her job."

"Business I guess. Don't focus on it. Just know that when you meet Marley, you're not meeting a grown up, you're meeting a very smart, very abused, young lady, who would much rather act like a small child and when she's with Santana, she is that child. I can't explain it, you have to witness it for yourself," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Most importantly you MUST know that this is a much heavier chapter for the whole adult baby world and they are going to continue. Maybe not EVERY bit of EVERY chapter from here on out, but you have been warned!**

**First off, thank you to EVERYONE who has read & reviewed the story. If you haven't reviewed please do so, as I would love your thoughts. I will be honest and say that some times I feel stuck in the story, so feed back from you all is helpful in getting me to think a little more outside the box so to speak. At the moment I really only have a general idea of where this is going to go, so I ask that you please bare with me.**

**Secondly - MASSIVE MASSIVE thanks to nayafan, unholyunderboob, & beaner008. I really can't thank you enough. You are VERY inspiring people. Please know that if I could link to you guys I would, but as I don't know how, someone has to teach me.**

**Lastly - Happy Sunday to all the readers & remember Reviews keep me motivated!**

**Wishing you all the best ~ Molly**

* * *

><p>Susan smiled as Santana walked in the door and gave her a tight hug. "Hey honey," she said and combed her fingers through Santana's poker straight hair.<p>

"Hi Miss Susan," Santana smiled cuddling into the older woman, who was very maternal. She'd learned a lot from her already and while she was a little bit nervous about what she had to do next, she knew it had to be done. Things didn't work any other way for her. Miss Beth had been crystal clear from the beginning. In any session, with any client, if you didn't know what it felt like, how could you do your job correctly. Training had involved a lot of new experiences for Santana. Electrostim, massage, fingering, fisting, bondage, handcuffs, spanking, caning, paddling, food play, and hydro play. Santana had wanted to be the best at everything, she'd made that clear. However when it came to scat and blood play, Santana had thrown up quite a few times and Miss Beth told her she was not going to perform Mistress duties with clients asking for those specific things. She would either team up, or they would be reassigned, but she wasn't to be in the room. Santana had protested, but Miss Beth explained very calmly to her, after spanking her for disrespect, that it didn't mean she wasn't great at what she did. _"All it means is that, this is not for you. We can revisit it in a month or two, but right now, you are off limits to those activities," Miss Beth had told her._

"So my little fire ball, when does your precious come to live with you and did you bring everything I asked for?" Susan asked her.

Santana nodded and gave Susan her bag. "Almost everything is in there," she said.

"Good girl. Now, we have to take you in the back and get you changed," Susan said and wrapped a protective arm around Santana hoping to help ease the girl's fears. "It's not permanent Santana, but you know as well as I do, that if you don't feel it, you're not going to know how to help her, and I will help you as best I can along the way. We have three hours, so tell me why you're so apprehensive."

"What if I get turned on?" she asked a blush falling over her face faster than Susan had ever seen.

"Then I will take care of you. It won't count against you. I won't punish you. You can't help how your body is going to react and I can guarantee you that while your precious may have thought it's what she wanted, it isn't now. Once Terri did all those awful things to her, she stopped wanting them. Terri took away the pleasure, but she did it for so long that now Marley is stuck with these thoughts that what she wants is a terrible thing. You have to help her find a new way to A) get what she wants and B) get out of the situation she's in," Susan explained.

"I didn't have any diapers," Santana said once they were in the privacy of the room.

"I have plenty, don't worry. My loves won't even notice two or three missing."

"Only one!" Santana said strongly as Susan rooted through her bag. She found the pacifier first and pushed it to Santana's mouth.

"Stop talking," she told her seriously and Santana frowned but didn't say another word. She did however go to take the pacifier out. "No! That stays," Susan said sternly, but gently as she pressed a finger to Santana's lips to keep it in place. "It's not punishment Santana, it's to help you. You are one of the best Mistresses this club has seen in a long time. You challenge yourself and your clients. You do a wonderful job, no one is disputing that, but right now, with me, you are my little Sanny. You do not get to control things, because for the most part Marley doesn't get to control things. We are doing a crash course immersion for you. You need to know what Marley feels. It's not forever for you. For her it may very well be. Terri took a lot from her, including some basic fundamentals like toilet training and speech. I won't take any fundamentals away from you and I will explain everything to you as we go along, but you, right now, are my little Sanny. Santana is a grown up girl who isn't here and won't be here for another three hours, understand?" Susan lectured.

With a very heavy sigh, Santana nodded. "Good," Susan smiled and she took the pacifier out. "Let's establish some basics okay?" she asked kindly. "First, how does Marley communicate?"

"She blinks, or whimpers, or cries, or sometimes she nods her head. For me it's all of those things. With her therapists it's only whimpers or cries. For her nurses when she's changed, it's only crying and it takes a long time for it to stop," Santana explained.

"Does she say any words at all?" Susan asked.

"Mommy and Kurt," she smiled.

"You're mommy?" Santana nodded. "And she says Kurt?"

"Well, no, she says K-eh, but she's only said it around him."

"Nothing with Rachel?"

"Not yet. I've shown her pictures and videos but Rachel hasn't made it in yet. We're both going tomorrow. I'll prepare her for that tonight," she said.

Susan nodded and picked up the pacifier, smiling when Santana worked her jaw around it a bit. "This is only for five minutes tops, but you have to see what it feels like. If you find comfort in it, then great, if you find it frustrating, then that's fine too, but you have to find out so you can find out what it might do for Marley. I really want you to tell her what this was like for you. You don't have to do it in front of anyone else, but I want you to use it as a better bonding session with her, okay?" she asked and with sad eyes, Santana nodded. She was afraid she was going to hate it so much that she would have to give it up, like she had the scat and blood play.

"Sanny, it's me, you're safe, nothing bad is going to happen to you here, do you understand that?" Susan asked gently, seeing fear in Santana's eyes. Santana nodded and Susan smiled and gave her a kiss. "Alright, so we're going to do this, bit by bit, okay? I know your concerned about her living with you and that you don't have the house proofed for her. There's a difference though. Marley isn't an actual toddler, she knows right from wrong. I don't think she's going to put her fingers in an electrical socket, however, if you want, it's usually best for you to hold her hand as you walk around the house. She's probably going to want to be with you all the time once you move her into the house anyway," Susan said.

Santana nodded and thought for a bit. Marley was glued to her side now when she showed up at the hospital. To put her in a new place was going to be traumatic for her and that just caused Santana more fear.

"Sanny, look at Nana," Susan said pulling her out of her thoughts. Santana looked up and Susan was holding out her hand to Santana. Santana took it and Susan smiled. "Nana likes to have her little ones next to her at all times, no exceptions, so when you have your precious with you, to help remind her she's with you this is what you can do," she explained.

Santana stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Susan. Marley wasn't mobile. Thinking about it for a moment more, Santana carefully slunk down to the floor and just sat there, looking up at Susan. "Are you going to sit there all day?" Susan asked her. Santana shook her head and waited for Susan to catch on. "What's wrong Sanny, are you scared?" Susan asked her kindly. Santana shook her head no. "Do you want to continue to learn what you can do to help Marley?" Santana nodded yes. "So then why aren't you standing with Nana?" Susan asked her genuinely. Santana glanced at the clock. Two minutes had ticked by, she still had three with that pacifier. She wasn't going to take it out and anger Susan, but at the same time, if she was to put herself directly in Marley's place, that meant not moving unless someone else moved her.

"Alright Sanny, we have to work on this. Why is Sanny not moving?" she asked her kindly and took the pacifier out of her mouth.

"Marley can't walk," she told her.

"How does Marley get around?"

"Nurses," Santana said simply.

"I think Nana has her work cut out for her then," Susan smiled.

* * *

><p>It took some doing, but two hours later Santana had gotten a lot of helpful information from Susan and no longer had her pacifier in, which she was grateful for. The only thing they had left to tackle was diapers and Santana did not look happy.<p>

"Sanny, if you give Nana any trouble, you're going to be in time out with a sore bottom," Susan told her firmly.

Santana pouted and looked at Susan. "No diapers," she said with frustrated tears in her eyes and Susan gave a very tight smile. The tears were actually a good sign. Santana was in a place where she was scared, and frustrated, and communication was not happening for her, which was exactly everything Marley felt all the time.

"Sanny, baby girls where diapers."

"No, I'm big," she protested.

"What did Nana say when you walked in this room at the beginning? Do you remember?"

"I'm Sanny," she said softly.

"Yes, you are, you are my very special, very talented, very lovely little Sanny, and little Sanny where's diapers," Susan said.

"No," she said sadly.

"You know what love? Little Sanny has to help big girl Santana otherwise, there is no way that big girl Santana, Mistress Santana, or Mommy Santana will be able to help little Marley, and I know that big girl Santana wants to do her very best when it comes to Marley."

"Can't go," Santana whimpered.

"I"m not going to make you if you can't honey," Susan said softly keeping Santana in a tight hug. "Look here," she said kindly sitting down on the floor and pulling Santana into her arms, much the same way Santana cuddled Marley already. It took a moment for her to realize it and then she spoke up kindly before Susan could continue with her statement.

"Nana?" she asked softly.

"Yes my love?"

"You hold all babies like this?" she asked.

"I do, it's a very mothering hug. It's something that makes them feel safe and loved and comforted. That's why Nana holds all her babies like this," Susan said.

"Big girl Santana does that too," she said proudly.

"So then big girl Santana should never worry about not being a good Mommy toward Marley. Those natural Mommy techniques are probably already in her. I heard a secret though. Do you want to hear it?" Santana nodded eagerly. "I heard that Marley was very very injured and now she has to have her Mommy learn to change her diapers, otherwise, she's not going to heal, it's a very sad situation."

"Her Mommy doesn't know how," Santana said.

"I know, that's why she sent you to see me. If little Sanny can lay still for Nana for just a little while, and be unhappy for just a little tiny while, she'll be able to help big girl Santana so that Marley never has to feel as scared and upset as big girl Santana is afraid she will make her," Susan explained.

"I can't pee myself Nana," Santana whimpered, little tears falling down her cheeks and Susan gently brushed them away with the pads of her fingers.

"I wouldn't do that to anyone," Susan said. "Nana would never make someone mess themselves on purpose. Nana doesn't think that's a very nice thing. In fact Nana would very much love to give anyone who does that to people a very hard spanking and a very long time out," she said and Santana gave a little smile.

"I can't pee myself Nana. How do I help?" she asked.

"It's going to be a little bit uncomfortable sweetheart, but you'll be with Nana the entire time and we're in a very safe place. Nana even has a few toys for you to play with while we go through everything as carefully as possible," she said.

"Kay. But I really don't wanna," Santana said honestly.

"Sanny, Nana is very happy you are being so honest with her," Susan praised. "Come on love. We're going to lay you down on the changing table and be very gentle with you. You'll have to feel it and get used to it, so you can tell Big Girl Santana what it's like and help her, help Marley," Susan said

Santana whimpered but let Susan lead her to the oversized changing table and help her onto it. Susan laid a gentle hand on Santana's belly and Santana started to cry immediately. "I'm not taking anything away Sanny. Nothing at all. It's Nana baby. You're very safe. Nothing bad will happen to you while Nana takes care of you. It's scary to have to trust someone else with something so intimate isn't it?" she asked her and Santana found herself struggling to breathe and in floods of tears. "Shhh, Nana's here, you're very safe sweetheart. I would never hurt you, and I'm not going to force you to do anything you can't do."

"No diapers," Santana cried.

"Shhh, I'm not going to make you use them Sanny. You are Nana's brave baby girl. Nana just wants you to feel something. Remember how Marley needs help?" she asked and Santana swallowed her hiccups, pushed out a controlled breath and tried to shake her head yes, but it wasn't easy. "You're doing so well Sanny. Nana is so so proud of her little girl," she praised her and she didn't proceed until Santana was calmer.

"Okay my sweet girl, let's talk it through. Nana wants her little Sanny to understand everything very clearly," she told her and as she talked she took off Santana's jeans and thong. "First we feel," Susan said and she pulled out a diaper. "This is very big isn't it honey?" she asked and Santana nodded, even though there was nothing but fear in her eyes. "It's alright, nice and slow my love," Susan assured her. "Okay, so I want Sanny to touch it and tell me what you feel," she said handing it to her and Santana held it, running it through her fingers in order to get a good feel, inside and out. What does it feel like sweetheart?"

"Soft inside," Santana said honestly.

"Do you think that diapers hurt Marley?"

"No. Terri made her hurt," Santana said.

"That's right," she smiled honestly. "Now, when Marley lived with Terri, Terri left Marley in diapers for a very long time, so I want you to feel a little bit what that was like," she said and Santana looked very nervous all over again. "Shhh, it's alright. Not long. I want you to get a quick idea. Very quick," she assured her.

Santana closed her eyes and let the tears fall slowly. "It's alright Sanny, nice and slow," she said kindly and carefully opened the diaper and put it under Santana. "Sanny, look at me baby, just look at Nana, nice and slow. I know you're scared, but you're doing so well. I'm so proud of you," she told her.

"Sanny go away, Sanny go away," Santana cried softly. She wanted to stop. This was getting to be too much, she was starting to feel that pit in her stomach, the one that would make her hurl any second.

Susan paused immediately and took Santana's face gently in her hands, forcing her to look directly at Susan. "Are you sure sweetheart, because we're almost done and as soon as we are, big girl Santana will come back and be ready to be the best Mommy possible," Susan said. She could tell this was a bit too much, but she really wanted to push through this.

"Don't like it," Santana said sadly.

"I know baby, but just keep looking at Nana and we'll be done so soon, I promise you," Susan told her. She then picked up the front of the diaper and taped it into place and Santana panicked immediately. Susan put very firm hands on her shoulder and had her breathe and focus. Eventually she calmed and Susan smiled at her. "What do you feel Sanny?" she asked her.

"Warm and um, I don't know. Just warm for sure. Safe kinda, but not really," she said between hiccups and gasps for breath."

"Well that's good. Safe is a good word," Susan grinned. "Now, see baby here's the problem baby Marley has a problem doesn't she?"

"Yes. She can't control herself. It just comes out of her and then she cries," Santana said.

"Well I'm going to open up your diaper and pour some of this water," she said holding up a water bottle. "I"m going to pour it right where it would be, if you did pee yourself, and then tape you back in, and I just want you to feel, that's all sweetheart. I promise you that nothing bad will happen, you're just going to be a little bit uncomfortable for a little while. After that, you'll be all done and you and Nana will cuddle and wait for big girl Santana to come back to us, okay?" she asked and with tears in her eyes Santana agreed.

Susan poured the water into the diaper and then taped it into position. At first everything was fine, but then the feeling of this-isn't-so-bad, changed to, get-this-off-of-me-now and Santana began to panic. The tears poured out of her eyes and she cried so quickly that Susan was even caught off guard a bit. The soft tears became louder cries, and then wails, until they reached screams of discomfort and panic.

"Shhh, Sanny, it's alright, look at Nana," she said and Santana wiggled and tried to get away. "Sanny," Susan said firmly. "Sanny, look at Nana. Look right at me baby. As soon as you calm down, and tell me what you feel, it comes off. As soon as you calm down honey, I promise," she assured her.

* * *

><p>Santana walked into the hospital and went straight to Marley's room. She was so familiar now to most of the staff that they didn't even bother having her sign in. She went over to the therapy room and her heart broke. Off in the back corner was Joe sitting with Marley, trying to help her out and all she was doing was fighting to get away from him and crying. She kept trying to push him away, but her strength hadn't come back yet. To his credit, he didn't force her. He did for her, what Susan had done for little Sanny, which was just, be firm and try to talk calmly and rationally to her. Unfortunately for Joe, it wasn't working.<p>

"May I?" Santana asked him softly. Marley was so far gone that she didn't even register Santana was in the room.

"I'm trying to get her to cooperate. We're working on core strength and she needs to be changed," he said and Santana nodded. She could smell it. The ammonia from the urine soaked diaper was very strong indeed. She had no idea how Marley could even stand a little bit of wetness. Her rashes were bandaged and heavily coated in hydrocortizone and desitin and any other rash remedy the hospital had on hand. Dr. Martinez had been very clear about that. They had to get them disinfected and dried up as fast as possible, to keep the poor girl off of sedation and out of pain.

"Marley, look at Santana," Santana told her and Marley yelled in anger. Santana was her Mommy, why did she insist otherwise. "How long has she been at therapy?" Santana asked turning away to look at Joe, not seeing Marley fall to the floor, so she could wiggle her way to Santana's lap.

"Two and a half hours," Joe said simply and then pointed at Marley.

"Off the floor young lady, come here," Santana told her and she scooted closer, pulled Marley into her arms and held her tightly. Marley immediately put her head on Santana's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck, struggling to lift them into position. Santana sighed and pushed her own back against the wall, keeping Marley plastered to her front. "Shhh, shhh, shhh," she cooed softly. "You sit here with me and when you are calm we will talk," she told her gently and then looked at Joe. "You sit there and tell me all about her therapy session today," she ordered him pointing to a spot just in front of her.

"You're much too strong," he told her seriously. He liked Santana, he thought she was very good for Marley, but her attitude was sometimes too much to take. She wasn't in charge of everyone and if Joe was right in his suspicions, she wasn't even truly in charge of Marley.

"I get on a roll," she said brushing him off as she continued to rub and pat Marley's back gently. She knew exactly how distressed Marley felt, because for the last twenty minutes with Susan, she'd been in the exact same position. Susan helped Santana temporarily go to a place where Marley lived all the time. Frustrated, broken, and scared. It was not fun.

"We need time alone Joe," Santana said.

"Do you want a nurse? She does have to be changed."

"No, just leave me the things she needs and I'll take care of it," she said simply. Joe gave her a small, doubtful look, but she glared at him in return and he backed off. He went to the supply closet, got her a fresh diaper, a box of baby wipes, a selection of rash creams, and left them alone.

Marley was a bit calmer now and Santana rubbed her back lovingly. "When you're ready sweetheart you pull back and look at me. We need to talk and then we need to get you changed, because I am one hundred percent sure that you don't feel comfortable," Santana told her kindly.

It didn't take long. After a slightly tighter hug, Marley pushed back, wobbling to stay seated straight in Santana's lap. "There's my beautiful girl," she smiled. "So, here's the thing. I want to tell you a story, but you need to be changed, and fast. We haven't done that yet, but if you trust me, then I will change you and tell you the story at the same time," she explained. "So tell me my sweet love, do you trust me enough to let me change you?"

"Mommy," Marley said softly and tiredly.

"I need a true answer sweetheart, can we try a yes or no please?" Santana asked. Marley nodded yes and then went a bit limp. Santana could see fear in her eyes and made her voice very soft and gentle. "Okay sweetheart, back we go," she said carefully and laid her down on her back and Marley whimpered. "I know sweetheart, I know, I'm so sorry baby, eyes on me, I will keep you safe," she told her lovingly.

Santana very carefully pulled down Marley's sweat pants, working them carefully to her ankles. "Nice and easy baby, very easy, I promise," she said. Once the sweatpants were down Santana stopped and waited for a moment. "So I promised you a story didn't I?" she smiled as she carefully rubbed her hands on Marley's ankles to help calm her, knowing it was a calming point on pretty much everyone's body.

"What's my name lovely?"

"Mommy," Marley said honestly.

"Alright, so earlier today, Mommy went to her job. Do you know what my job is? Do you remember?" she asked and Marley nodded. Santana smiled and shook her head. "You don't get away that easy. Is Mommy a singer, a mail person, or a mistress?" she asked. Marley worked her jaw, but didn't know how to answer the question. The words weren't going to come out easily and she knew it. "Look lovely," Santana said kindly, holding up her left hand repeating each job and adding fingers. Marley gave a sigh of relief, a small smile and reached out, pointing to the third finger. "Very good my love," Santana said and she untaped the diaper and Marley tensed.

"Shhh, we're going very easy baby, I promise. So, Mommy went to work, and had a session with Miss Susan," she said. "Miss Susan is a Nanny at my job. Lots of people come to the club and ask Miss Susan to be their Nanny for a little while and she is very good at her job," she said and Marley gave a curious look. "So Mommy went to see miss Susan and asked her to be my Nanny for a few hours. I had to do that, because pretty soon, my lovely Marley will be coming home with me, and I have to make sure I know how to take care of a little girl. The only way to do that, was for Mommy to be the little girl, and experience as much as you do. I had a pacifier, a bottle, and a diaper," she said and Marley's eyes went wide.

"I have to change it now sweetheart. Yucky diaper off and clean one on," she said. "Now Joe told me that you're getting very strong in your core. Do you think you can plant your feet and lift your hips a little bit for me?" she asked.

Marley started to cry immediately and Santana felt her heart break. She was obviously doing something wrong and Marley either couldn't, or wouldn't communicate her fears and Santana took a deep breath. "Shh, shh, shh. Look at Mommy baby, look at me, you're okay," she said putting a free hand on her cheek, to help calm her. Her cheeks were still bruised from where Terri had pinched them repeatedly, but Marley knew Santana's touch now, so she didn't flinch any more. "Marley baby, Mommy wants to help you. I do, but I don't know how, so Mommy is going to call a nurse and we're going to do this together and then Mommy is going to finish her story," she told her and Marley continued to cry, but kept a semi tight grip on Santana's hand.

Santana reached for the intercom button and called to the front desk. "Yes, this is Santana in the therapy room. I need to change Marley, and I need a refresher lesson in how to do it," she said seriously.

Nurse Emma walked in a few moments later and grinned. "Hi, I hear you need a lesson," she said and Marley started to cry. She didn't like how the staff talked to Santana. "Marley. We're going to change you, that's all it is, and Santana is right here to be with you the entire time."

"Mommy!" Marley growled with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, Mommy," Emma said kindly and she moved over to Marley's hips. "Okay, Mommy," she said carefully and looked at Santana. "Who's doing this?"

"Me," Santana said strongly and reached up to cup Marley's face. "Shhh, just keep your eyes on me sweetheart. I'm right here okay?" she asked her gently and then looked at Emma.

"Well you untaped her diaper, so that's a good start. Now you have to wipe her down before you put on the clean one, and I'm telling you now, it's going to hurt her and she's going to scream. She does it every time. The rash has blisters and when we clean them, it hurts, so just sort of ignore her screams and get the job done," Emma said and Marley's body went rigid, her body struggling to take in a breath.

"I'm here Marley, Mommy's right here. I'll be as gentle as possible," she told her and felt her own heart breaking.

"Okay, so you're going to place your non dominant hand on the small of her back and lift up, using your dominant hand to wipe her off. Always start at the top and pull down toward you," Emma explained.

Santana took a deep breath and then put her eyes on Marley's skin. It was purple, pink, red, and blue. Terri had left Marley in her diapers for hours at a time, and by that point, her muscles were so weak, that she had no control over them. Sitting in her own urine and feces for hours at a time before Terri would think about changing her and she never really cleaned her up, she just put on a new diaper and then left Marley in a dark room, by herself. Marley screamed as Santana wiped her down and Emma nodded her approval. "Very good, now you put all the dirty wipes here, and push it aside and then slide the new clean diaper under her," she said. Santana did it as fast as possible and then quickly slid the new diaper under her. "Good, now just put any of these creams on her. This one, is the one that she doesn't scream as much with. Unfortunately until she heals a little more, it's all going to hurt her," Emma explained as kindly as possible. Santana finished changing Marley and then put her pants back on.

"I want private time with her," she told Emma.

"I can keep people out of this room," Emma offered.

"I really want a rocking chair," Santana thought and pulled Marley up into her arms. As well as Marley was doing, she was still very thin and frail. Her body hurt her a lot of the time and Santana's heart broke every time Marley would scream in pain.

Marley's cries were loud and strong and she was begging for her Mommy. She wanted to pain to stop, she wanted it to go away and just be better. The cries were so intense that Santana felt her heart breaking.

"Alright princess. Alright, let's get you calm and Mommy will finish her story," she said and she kept Marley close, speaking gently to her, telling her all about her time with Susan and how she experienced as much as she could so that she could better understand what Marley's situation was. "I know it hurts now baby, but I will do everything I can to help you get better and get you to the safest place possible," she promised and Marley cried, but she didn't dare let go of Santana. Santana made Marley feel safe.

* * *

><p>Santana dragged herself home to find Rachel drying dishes and Kurt making dinner. "How late am I? I thought it was my night?" she said.<p>

"It is, and you're not late, but rumor has it you had a really long day, so we decided to help you out a bit," Rachel said. "How's Marley?" she asked.

"She's sleeping, finally," Santana said as she gently pushed Kurt out of the way and continued to brown the chicken, noticing that they were following her recipe.

"Finally?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, she um, she had a melt down I guess. She was exhausted and it took me an hour to calm her down and nearly two more to get her to fall asleep. Terri abused her," Santana said, her features hardening as the anger she felt of the situation came to the surface.

"I thought we knew this," Rachel said kindly and Santana nodded, but didn't speak. "So what is different about today?" Rachel pressed gently. "I mean what new information did you get today that you never had before," she clarified, more so for Kurt than for Santana.

Santana said nothing, she just focused on the chicken and as she continued helping to cook dinner, flashes of Marley's bruised and battered body flashed through her mind. She was in another world and working on a hot stove. This was not a good combination and Kurt saw trouble coming. He looked over at Rachel and then walked closer to her. "Sneak off and order her favorite take out and then just get me whatever it is I like from where ever it is that you order," he told her.

It took all of two minutes, for Santana to blindly pick up the browning chicken, with the tongs and whip it across the room, screaming in frustration and anger and finally broke down into her own tears. She slumped down to the floor and cried in anger. Kurt watched and let her be for a moment, but when she didn't calm down, in a reasonable amount of time, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms tight around her. "Communication, right Santana? So spit it out. What happened? What do you need help with? How can Rachel and I be your support team?" he asked softly and she started to fight him, struggling to get out of his grip. "You know, Auntie Tana. You're allowed to need someone to lean on too," he said loosening his grip and as soon as the words left his mouth, she calmed down. Being a Mistress had changed her slightly, for the better of course. She'd learned that she didn't have to be the only one in charge of everything, that it was okay to get help.

"She's every color under the sun. There are bruises all over her body, but the ones on her bottom. I can't handle it. I can't see that every day, multiple times a day," she cried.

"What bruises?" he asked.

"Everywhere. Just raw, and angry red streaks. Patches of purple. Slight shades of blues, greens, and yellows, but mostly red and white. The blisters, the rashes, she's just, she didn't deserve that," Santana said pushing her tears away angrily.

"No, she didn't," he agreed. "She deserves a loving relationship, where she feels safe, loved, cared for, and above all trusts the person or persons who are with her, and you are giving that to her Santana. But for now, you have to tell us how we can help more," he said and she leaned into him and let his words settle over her.

"I said I wanted a challenge," she said softly.

"Yes you did and someone, somewhere, in the universe, they heard you, and the challenge was put to you. You're doing a very good job Santana. I hope you're giving yourself credit," he told her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes at the end...**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Rachel paced her bedroom in her bathrobe and tried to come up with the perfect outfit. She finally settled on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. "You look nervous," Kurt said from the doorway.<p>

"I don't want to screw this up," she said.

"I don't think you can. Marley doesn't want anything to do with us, she just wants Santana. You'll be lucky she acknowledges you at all."

"She acknowledged you," Rachel pointed out.

"She said K-eh, because that was all we could get out of her. You'll be lucky you get vowels, if nothing else. Secondly, you and Santana look similar, so I have a feeling you'll make her feel more comfortable than I do," he told her honestly.

"You're so sure about that?" she asked.

"More than anything. She's going to be more than attached to Santana, that won't change, but I can promise you, you'll very quickly become second in command," he said.

"We'll see," Rachel said simply.

"Berry! Move it! We can't be late. Therapy starts in an hour, and the subways are over crowded!" Santana called from her bedroom.

"She's too bossy," Rachel pouted.

"She's doing everything she can think of to keep Marley safe and happy," he told her and then leaned in and gently bumped their foreheads together. "I agree with you though," he told her lovingly and she smiled, letting a little giggle pass her lips. "You're going to be fine Rach," he told her.

* * *

><p>They walked into Marley's room and Rachel stood back. "Mommy!" Marley called sadly from the bed.<p>

"That is one of the sadder voices I've heard baby, are you okay?" she asked and Marley burst into tears immediately. "Shhh, tell me love, what's wrong?" she asked gently. She moved to the bed, got in behind her and cuddled her close. "Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay," she soothed and Rachel let a sad smile cross her lips. Santana didn't talk like that ever. Santana wasn't this calm, gentle, delicate person. "Well she is," Rachel thought, "but only when I challenge her and point out how mean she is to me and that I've had enough of it," she thought.

Rachel continued to stand in the doorway and watch. Santana looked around and picked up the teddy bear and handed it to her. "Look, Teddy Bear," she said kindly and gave it to Marley, along with a few kisses to the top of her head as she tried to get Marley to rest and calm down. "I'm here sweetheart, you're safe," she said and she carefully took Marley's hand in hers and noticed how dry her skin was. "Oh, I see, do your fingers hurt? Do you want more lotion?" she asked and Marley nodded yes after a moment. She hadn't thought about it, but if Santana said that they were dry then she would take it. It was the first bonding thing they had, so she knew this was safe.

"Are you going to block the doorway all day?" Santana asked Rachel and with a roll of her eyes, Rachel stepped into the doorway and stood on the other side. "Did you see Mommy's friend? That's Rachel," Santana explained and Marley went stiff. "Shhh, it's alright, remember when Kurt came to play with us the other day?" she asked and Marley blinked. If Santana wasn't looking at her, she would have missed it completely. "Well this is like that. Rachel is my other room mate and I wanted you to meet her too. Marley, anyone who I will ever bring into your life on a permanent basis, you will meet first, with me, and be completely safe in my arms, do you understand?" she asked and Marley blinked again. "Very good," Santana smiled. "Now, let's get some lotion on your hands, so they don't hurt you any more," she said.

Marley calmed down and Santana smiled happily and then looked to Rachel. "Me?" Rachel asked after she realized she was being stared at.

"No, the other Rachel standing in the room," Santana said. "Yes you." Santana had thought about calling her a hobbit, but that might have been too soon. Marley didn't know that Rachel and Santana tended to run hot and cold. Some days they were best friends and other days they were mortal enemies.

"Not the pet, I told you that last night!" Rachel said strongly. "If you want it done, you ask. You respect her, so you respect me too!" Rachel said seriously and Marley went tense. Rachel gave a huff, rolled her eyes and sat down. "It's okay Marley, I won't hurt you, and I know you don't know me, so I'm just going to sit here and tell you a story until you feel it's safe to give me your hand. I will massage them for you, because I know it helps you, but if your Mommy says one more word just to press my buttons I'm out of here, and I will see you when you move in with us. I'm not mad at you and I'm not even mad at your Mommy, but she tends to get on her high horse sometimes and forget that we're friends and equals, rather than Mistress, and sub or pet," Rachel said.

Marley seemed to take this information in and settled against Santana while Rachel started her story. "See, I met your Mommy nine years ago. We went to high school together, and to start out, we were not the best of friends. If anything we just maybe knew who each other were, but other than a name we didn't know anything else," Rachel explained as she picked up the bottle of lotion and began rubbing it between her hands. She'd remembered Santana's story from the very first day.

_"I put the lotion in my hands and just rubbed and rubbed, until she showed me she was ready to accept it. Her eyes got soft, and she seemed to want to feel whatever it was I was feeling. Her hands were cracked and raw, and so I decided that maybe if she saw me use it she wouldn't be so scared of it. I mean why would I use something on me if it was going to hurt her, right?"_, Santana had said. Rachel had paid close attention and it did not go unnoticed by Santana.

Rachel continued to babble on bringing Marley through their years of high school, sectionals, regionals, and nationals. "We spent a lot of time singing together and then Mommy went to college on a cheerleader scholarship and I came here to New York, to study at NYADA," Rachel said and then she smiled. Marley had put her hand out now and Rachel nodded. "If it's too much pressure or anything you just let me know somehow okay?" she smiled and Marley gave a smile and then wiggled into a more comfortable position.

Rachel continued the story, telling her about Finn, and Brody, and Marley wiggled again and then looked pointedly at Rachel. "You want to tell me something?" Rachel asked her kindly.

"Mommy?" she asked.

"Mommy's right behind you," she said and Santana smiled and gave her a kiss to her temple.

"I'm still here babe," Santana told her and Marley let out a little whimper.

"Mommy?" she asked again and she stared straight at Rachel.

"I don't understand sweetheart, I'm sorry," Rachel said honestly.

Marley let go of Rachel's hand and grabbed on to Santana's knee, because that was what was close. "Mommy," she said with finality.

"Yes, that is Mommy," Rachel told her.

Then Marley took Rachel's hand very carefully and looked at her seriously. "Mommy?" she asked.

"Does Rachel need a name?" Santana asked kindly and Rachel felt her heart melt as her chest tightened. Was Marley really asking for another Mommy, or at least a second mother figure? Did Rachel really get Marley to trust her so quickly?

"Mommy?" Marley asked again.

"We have to ask sweetheart. I'm glad you trust Rachel, that's very good. I'm glad that you know that I'm safe, as are Rachel and Kurt. I don't have a problem with you calling her Mommy, but we have to ask her," Santana said and Marley nodded continually, stopping only when the bruise on the back of her neck started to act up.

"I am very flattered Marley, but you have a Mommy and she loves you very much. I don't even think I could put it into words," Rachel said and Marley looked crushed.

"Mommy?" she asked again, although this time her voice was full of rejection and pain.

"It might be confusing if we all live together and you call out for Mommy. Who would show up?" she asked and Marley seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Marley. You can call me what you like, I don't mind about that, but I want you to know that your Mommy, Mommy Santana, is the very best you could ask for. She loves you so much, and I know that you two have built up a very solid trust. I would never, ever, want to take that from either of you. Does that make sense?" she asked.

Marley nodded and thought for a little bit more. "Ay shh," she finally said and then closed her eyes and shook her head no. She didn't like how that sounded.

"Look at me sweetheart. What are easy letters for you to say. I know your mouth is still healing," Rachel offered.

"Ay, Ma, ah," Marley said slowly, making the noises that didn't hurt the tender muscles in her cheeks.

"Marley baby, can you say Mama?" Santana asked her.

"Mama," Marley said.

"Are you sure though Marley? I want you to be absolutely sure. We just met, so I don't want you jumping into anything you truly aren't ready for," Rachel said.

"Rrrrr," Marley said and then she winced in a bit of pain. She looked over at the table next to her and reached for the juice. She carefully grabbed the cup and waiting for someone to pour it for her. "Mommy," she said to Santana this time.

"When you're better, the manners will follow. Please and thank you my love," Santana scolded lightly.

Marley very very carefully got herself to drink the juice and then looked at Rachel again. "Rrrr," she said and it hurt, but not as much. Another sip was followed by another growl until finally, Marley was just staring at Rachel and seemingly growling. Little tears stung her eyes, but she had to try, she had to make it work. She knew she could, she just had to try a little more, and it was very nice to try herself, and not have someone breathing too many words of encouragement down her neck. She genuinely thought she was in better care with Rachel and Santana rather than with the hospital staff.

"Rrrrr, to you too," Rachel smiled and she leaned in and gently kissed Marley on her forehead.

"Ae!" Marley pushed out finally and then caught herself at how loud she was when she saw Rachel jump.

"Did you not like that? I'm sorry," Rachel said.

"Rrrrr, ae," Marley pushed out carefully and smiled at Rachel. "Rrrrahe," she said and then shook her head no.

"Do you know this?" Rachel asked Santana kindly once Marley had closed her eyes to focus on her own voice.

Santana shook her head. "Mama," Marley said slowly. "Ma, ma, rrrrae," she pushed out. It was staccato and sounded wrong, but she took a sip of juice and tried again. Mam, ah, rrrrrrr," she said.

"Marley honey. Is that Mama Rae?" Santana asked after watching Marley struggle for a few minutes. Marley beamed up at Santana and snuggled in close, closing her eyes and wanting to go to sleep. "No, no, before you sleep, Mommy has to slip out," Santana said and Marley looked upset by this. "I'm not leaving you, just leaving the bed, you can rest, I'm not going anywhere," she said.

It took fifteen minutes until Marley fell completely to sleep. "So Mama Rae, what do you think?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"I think I'm in love," Rachel grinned.

* * *

><p>Marley was getting ready for her release and Santana walked in with a bright smile, only to find her little girl in tears, looking very stressed and uncomfortable. "Hey baby," she grinned and then her smile fell from her face. "That is a very unhappy face, what's wrong sweetheart?" she asked and Marley started to reach for her. Santana stepped in closer and pulled her into a hug and Marley hung on and cried against her shoulder. "You're going to hyperventilate sweetheart take some breaths baby, as soon as you're calm we'll figure out whatever it is, I promise," she told her.<p>

It took Marley several long minutes to calm down and then she looked at Santana with a tear stained face. "Sweetheart, let's figure this out okay? See, I've learned a few things being a woman and living with Mama Rae, which is girls cry for every reason every under the sun." Santana gave a list of options, ranging from sad, to scared, to angry, to just a plain bad day, and Marley said no to all of them. "You don't want to tell me yet, do you?" she asked and Marley nodded yes. Santana gave a heavy sigh and sat down. "You know what? That's okay," she assured her and Marley started to cry all over again. Santana frowned and pulled Marley gently into her lap, keeping her close. "Cry it out baby, it's okay. I'm not mad, and I'm not going to leave you. Tomorrow you get to come home with me, and Mama Rae, and Kurt, and we are so excited for you to come live with us. You're very special to us my darling," she assured her.

"Mommy," Marley said softly.

"What's up my love?" she asked.

"A, B," Marley said.

"A, B," Santana said and Marley wiggled her fingers indicating Santana should say those same letters faster. "Aybee. Baby?" she asked and Marley nodded. "What about a baby?"

"Me?" she asked.

"You're my baby," Santana told her gently adding a smile and a tender kiss.

Marley thought for a moment and then pointed to her wooden blocks that were over on the side table. Santana reached for the blocks and handed them to Marley and she very carefully started to pick up the blocks to spell the words she wanted. She picked up the B, then the A, then moved the B over, and then added the Y.

"Yes, baby, you said that before. You're my baby," Santana told her. "And Mama Rae's baby if you want to be and Kurt's as well if you want. But that is all up to you sweetheart, if you ever want to stop being our baby, for any length of time, all you have to do is tell us and we will stop babying you. Well, we will try, you're very cute, just make sure you tell us okay?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Any other questions?"

Marley picked up her blocks carefully. F...O...R...C...E...D. "Never," Santana told her, "but I want you to understand something okay? I will never force you to do something that will harm you, but I will force you to do things that I know will make you better," she said and she saw fear track across Marley's eyes. "Let me give you an example darling. When you first started therapy, you had to just move your arms remember? Joe wanted you to start small. So he would pick up your arm and then let it go again, do that a few times, and then ask you to do it yourself, and you shook your head no and refused to do it? Do you remember that?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Then you had a big tantrum and then I showed up and do you remember what I did?" she asked and Marley pouted.

"I guess that means yes huh?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Can you tell me?" she asked.

"Ock, a-wah," Marley said softly.

"Yes, Mommy talked to you a lot. Can I see your tongue please?" she asked her and Marley stuck out her tongue, the blisters on the tip of her tongue, were healing, but still not healed yet. For that reason, Marley couldn't say a lot of words. Any letters requiring her tongue to touch her teeth, she didn't say, which meant she talked with a severe lisp. "It is healing, and I am so proud of you for talking to me. That was an amazing effort," she told her and then refocused on the issue Marley was concerned about. "Mommy told you then, that the reason you had to do what Joe said was so you could get stronger. Strong women are not something people mess with. Strong women know what they want and being stronger means you get to get out of this hospital and start living more of your life. Do you still want that?" she asked kindly. Marley nodded and Santana smiled. "I might force you to do things sweetheart, but I will never force you to do something that will land you back here in the hospital. Nothing I make you do will ever, ever be done out of cruelty or with negative intentions. Terri was cruel to you. Mommy, Mama Rae, and Kurt will never be cruel to you," Santana told her.

"K-Eh," Marley said softly and Santana thought for a moment. Realizing she hadn't made her point, Marley changed her tactic. "Mama Rae," Marley said.

"Yes, Mama Rae," Santana agreed.

"K-Eh," Marley said again.

"Spell for me baby, I'm not following," she said kindly and Marley spelled carefully. K...U...R...T. "Oh yes, Kurt, I'm sorry, what about Kurt?"

"Ah-pa?" she asked.

"Spell more sweetheart," Santana said gently and Marley nodded. P...A...P...A she spelled rotating the blocks. "Papa? You want to call Kurt, Papa?" she asked her and Marley nodded, although she looked fearful. "I think he would like that. Should we text him to talk about it?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Okay, watch me then," Santana said and she carefully tapped out a message to Kurt. _Marley would like to call you Papa, are you okay with that?_ Is that right sweetheart?" she asked and Marley nodded with a jaw cracking yawn. "Let me send this and then we can get you to rest," Santana grinned.

Santana sat next to Marley and let her rest comfortably. Marley started to fight her body on sleep and Santana pet her hair gently. "Sometimes my love, you're going to have to nap, even when you don't want to. I promise you though, these naps are a good thing. They will help you get stronger and heal faster. Your body needs it," Santana told her and she saw exhaustion and fear in her little girl's eyes and Marley seemed to be regressing very quickly. "Marley my love, look at Mommy," she coached gently. "Mommy isn't going anywhere. I'm going to be here when you wake up and I promise you sweetheart, I will always be your safe place," Santana said and Marley nodded yes before snuggling down into the covers of the bed, she was exhausted now.

* * *

><p>Marley was caught in a dream, but she didn't realize she was in a dream. It was all too real. It also didn't help that her fears of Santana leaving her, abusing her, the looming prospect of moving to a new home, and the past terrible memories of Terri taking care of her, in a manner of speaking, were weighing heavily on her mind. Her body was using sleep to process everything. The pictures in her mind and situations she was seemingly in began changing at a rapid rate. She wanted to move and get away from Terri. She saw the belt coming at her quickly and she tried to duck. She felt Terri pin her legs back so her knees were practically touching her eyes. She heard angry words flowing around her. Most of them sounded like Terri and she saw Santana standing there watching and then she heard her speak. Santana was calling out to her. Santana was calling that she was coming, but she never moved. The belt rose and fell twice more before every nerve ending in her body exploded with pain.<p>

Santana was just returning from her little trip to the vending machines when Marley started to toss and turn, her body protesting the movement and all the pain that went with it. She watched as Marley's head slowly rolled right, and then quickly turned to the left, and very shortly after that, Marley let out a blood curdling scream, waking herself up, her entire body in pain. She'd wet herself in the process and now it felt like her body was on fire.

Santana went to her bedside and Marley let out another scream. The pain and the memories were too much for her, and she was still in her head. Santana watched, mostly in amazement, as Marley regressed before her eyes. Something had terrified her to go to this point and Santana had to tread very carefully. Santana waited until Marley stopped screaming and very gently laid her hands on Marley's thigh. Marley screamed again at the soft touch and Santana frowned. "Shhh, Mommy's here sweetheart," she said gently. "Marley, look at Mommy Santana," she said and inched her hands upward slowly toward Marley's hips and began to talk softly. "Marley, look at Mommy, I know it hurts, I know, I hear it in your voice honey, but you have to look at Mommy. I need you to know where you are," Santana said and as she spoke she moved her hands over Marley's body, until she was holding her hand. "Look at me baby, look at Mommy," she cooed and Marley quickly shut her eyes, keeping them locked tight, and shaking her head no.

Santana sighed. She wanted her to look, to be sure she was in present time and not stuck in her head, but she couldn't force her, so she decided to just talk while she got it all done. "Okay, okay, you don't have to look at me then sweetheart. Here's the deal. I'm going to let go of your hands and get you a new diaper, something to clean you up with and some lotion. It's already been far too long, and I don't want you to be in pain any longer than necessary. Mommy loves you too much," she said and she let go, gathered the items and went back to the bed, taking Marley's hand. Marley jumped and Santana's heart tightened in her chest. "It's just me sweetheart. It's Mommy Santana, and you are very safe, but we have to change you. We have to," she said almost pleadingly and very slowly, Marley's eyes opened.

"Mommy," she said sadly.

"Yes my baby, Mommy's here, and we have to change you. I know it hurts, and I know you're going to cry and scream, and that's okay. I'm not mad at all, and I don't care what anyone says, but do you know that Mommy has to change you?" she asked. Marley nodded and tears poured out of her eyes. "Shhh, I know honey, I know, I'm so sorry that you're in pain baby," she cooed as she carefully. Santana very carefully edged the hospital gown up, untaped the diaper and Marley started to scream. "It's just Mommy sweetheart, you're safe. It's just Mommy," she told her softly, over and over again. The diaper was soaked and before Santana could pull it away any further, Marley began peeing out of fright. "Just Mommy baby, it's just Mommy," Santana said, over and over again, in order to try to keep her calm. She waited till Marley was done and then picked up some of the cleaning cloths. She carefully cleaned her up, being careful not to rub too hard over any of the still raw, and sore flesh. Marley of course screamed, but Santana knew that was coming.

It took several long minutes, but finally Marley was changed and Santana picked up her lotion and started to work it into Marley's hands. "Alright baby, all clean, all done, I promise," she said gently and Marley turned to look at Santana and burst into heavy sobs. "Shhh, I'm sorry honey," Santana said and Marley just cried and tried to wiggle around. "Shhh, don't hurt yourself baby, talk to me, tell Mommy what you want," she encouraged. "Just try," she said.

"Cuh," Marley whimpered.

"Cup?" Santana asked and Marley shook her head crying even harder. She couldn't communicate. She just wanted someone to hold her until all the pain stopped and she didn't know how to say it. "Alright, alright, calm down honey, I'm here," Santana said. She checked the bed and then very carefully stood up and leaned down, almost laying herself on top of Marley. "Shhh, Mommy's here," she said and without too much effort, she was able to shift Marley and herself so that they were both in the bed and she was holding Marley to her. Marley laid her head on Santana's chest and did her best to calm down. "There's my baby girl, there you are. I love you so much Marley, you're completely safe with me, you know that don't you?" she asked her gently.

"Mama," Marley whimpered.

"Mama Rae isn't here sweetheart, she'll be here later today and so will Papa," Santana said.

"Mommy," she whimpered.

"Yes baby, Mommy's here, you're safe, and we're going to lay here together. You and Mommy, sweetheart. We're going to lay here together and stay cuddled up close, until you're calm," she told her. An hour later, Kurt and Rachel were walking into the room and Santana smiled at them.

"She missed you, but if you wake her up, I'll kill both of you," she said protectively.

"I don't know if I like you as a Mama Bear, unless we're your cubs," Kurt said simply.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi everyone. I hope that you are all doing well and I'm glad you are enjoying the story that I somehow managed to create. This chapter is MUCH shorter than my last ones, but it needed to be. As I was writing it, I felt that all the characters needed a break. <strong>

**To all my reviewers thank you SO MUCH! The reviews are so heart warming and make me feel so good.**

**To my followers, thank you. I'm always glad to see that a new person has joined my following. Please also feel free to add a review. You may end up sparking something and I promise that anyone who gives me additional inspiration will get credit!**

**I appreciate all the support that I'm getting. Still massive major props to Nayafan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008. Without their works, this would not have been inspired. **

**I haven't said this yet, but I think it goes without saying. I don't own any of the characters that you recognize. The ones that you don't recognize, I just made them up. If they inspire you in some way, then feel free to borrow them, just please give me credit! :)**

**I wish you all the best and if I will update again next Sunday!**


	5. Chapter 5

**To all my readers. Thank you greatly for your patience! My computer was in the shop being fixed, and I had a great deal of emotional crap to deal with this week. Now that it's been done with and my computer is fixed and my bathroom is clean and my taxes are paid, life and story posting can get back to a semi normal schedule. Thank you all for sticking with me! I greatly hope you enjoy the story still. Reviews, questions, comments, concerned. Feel free to post or PM me. I will post chapter 6 on Sunday as regularly scheduled. **

**And as always, MEGA thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for all their inspirations and support. Be well my friends!**

* * *

><p>Finally Marley was to be released from the hospital and Santana, Kurt, and Rachel all showed up to help with the process. Marley was a basket case from the moment they arrived. She hadn't slept very well, even though Santana had stayed with her for hours. She sang her two lullabies, read her three stories, and made sure she was "fed, watered, and cleaned up" before she fell to sleep. It hadn't mattered though. This was going to be a new chapter in Marley's life and even though the people were ones she knew, the environment wasn't.<p>

She laid in bed, and when her "committee" arrived to help her home, she just about lost her mind. They were too nice, too concerned, too gentle and it scared her. Rachel and Kurt pushed Santana forward. "You talk to her, we'll pack," Rachel said. They didn't have a lot to pack, but Marley did have a few things that needed to go with them. Joe had left her some things from therapy to take with her and Rachel made sure to get copies of all the notes that had been made by the nursing staff. Santana was probably over prepared at this point, but she figured better safe than sorry.

"Okay Marley, look at me," Santana said and she waited very patiently for Marley to focus in on her. Marley's breathing was ragged and Santana saw her going into a panic attack. "Breathe sweetheart, just with me," she said taking her hands and holding them tightly. "Look at Mommy and just breathe baby girl, you're okay. Nothing bad is going to happen and nothing it going to happen at all until you tell us you're ready. I'm not even going to pretend I know how scared you might be," she told her.

"Santana, we're ready when you are," Kurt said kindly.

"Cab?" she asked.

"Waiting on us," he said and Marley looked to him immediately with wide eyes.

_"Cab's waiting Terri, let's go!" a male voice called and Marley felt herself being moved into someone's arms, being carried away and she started to cry. The man holding her gave her five hard blows to her bottom and she set to screaming._

_"Ugh, the racket! Here give her this, it locks behind," Terri said and she handed him a pacifier with a string on it. The string had a clip on the back, that once fastened into place, would lock it into place. He pushed it into place and while the screaming stopped, the crying didn't. The sour taste from the vinegar got to her and she started to gag slightly._

_"Let's go, we'll be at the cabin in a few hours," he said and Marley heard Terri giggle that excited little girl giggle, that she herself once used to have. _

_"I can't wait to start our new life. Just Mommy, Daddy, and Baby," Terri cooed. "Won't that be great sweet cheeks?" Terri asked pinching Marley's cheeks so hard that fresh tears came to her eyes. "We're going to be a happy family and you can yell and scream all you want, because no one will hear you and no one will care," Terri said in a terribly sickening voice. _

"Why is she staring at me?" Kurt asked kindly, keeping his eyes on Marley. Something was very wrong and they both knew it. Santana shrugged and moved in closer, singing softly to Marley. She was doing everything she could to try and pull Marley out of her memories, but it wasn't working, so Kurt gave it a try. "Marley, do you see me?" Kurt asked her. She gave a little gulp and looked at him, nodding slowly, her eyes seeming to get wider. "Do you know my name?" he asked her. He had learned. Santana had drilled it into them. Marley was never forced. Marley had to be talked to. It had to be clear that Marley was with them and not living off in her head somewhere. Marley didn't answer and Kurt let out a small sigh and took a few steps closer. "It's just me Marley, it's just Papa, do you know that?" he asked her as he got closer and she let out a little yelp, making him freeze in his spot. "Okay, I'll stop. Papa will stay right here, until you tell me you're ready," he said and Santana nodded her approval. "I'm right here Marley. It's just you, me, Papa Kurt, and Mommy, Mommy Santana. I will stay right here until you know that it's Marley, Papa, and Mommy," he told her.

Marley let the seconds pass by and then she turned to Santana. "Mommy," she whimpered and Santana watched in slight fear as Marley fell into her, sobbing hysterically. Santana gathered her close and rocked her gently.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're alright my love," she cooed softly and she swayed carefully from side to side before gently lifting Marley into her arms, sitting her on her lap, and guiding her head to her shoulder. "Shhh, Mommy's here," Santana said gently while petting Marley's hair, in long soothing strokes.

Kurt stood frozen to his spot. Marley couldn't see him, but he didn't want to risk anything to cause her more upset. "Okay, what did I say, so I don't say it again?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know, we'll figure it out. Can you give us a few minutes? Help Rachel keep the cab here," she said and Kurt nodded, leaving the room, and ignoring the direct order. This time it didn't bother him, Marley was more important to him, than Santana forgetting her role as friend over Mistress.

Santana waited and finally Marley calmed down. "Marley baby, it's just Mommy, and we're going to the house that I told you about. Mommy, Mama Rae, and Papa all live in the same house. Should we look at pictures and videos again? Will that help you a little more?" she offered, feeling Marley tremble against her.

Marley gulped a few times and Santana reached for some water. "Just water baby, take small sips for me," Santana said helping her. Five minutes later Marley was a little calmer, and Santana spoke kindly. "You've been released love, but we only leave when you're ready. If that takes all day, then that's fine with me. You won't be rushed. We're taking a cab to the house, because we don't want to overwhelm you with all the people on the subway," she told her and Marley nodded, holding tighter to Santana. "I have to wheel you out of here in a wheel chair and as soon as you tell me it's okay, I will press the call button and a nurse will bring us one. Then you, Mommy, Mama Rae, and Papa will all go back to the house together," Santana explained. With heavy tears and a terrified look on her face, Marley reached for the call button herself. She would never be ready, she was always going to be scared, but she couldn't keep these people waiting all day.

* * *

><p>The cab ride had been very tense. Keeping Marley calm was proving to be very difficult, until finally Santana could take no more. "Just like in the hospital baby, come here," she said and she pulled her onto her lap so they were chest to chest. Marley knew this, it was a familiar position, so she went to put her head on Santana's shoulder but was stopped. "Other side baby, I want you to see Mama Rae if you need to," she whispered to her. Marley had no objections. Santana rubbed her back and Rachel leaned in close, putting her forehead to Marley's<p>

"Mommy has you baby. You're very safe with us, and I bet you are probably very scared, which is fine with us. You take your time with whatever you need to. Mommy taught you how to communicate and what we don't know right away we'll figure it out. You're an amazing girl Marley," Rachel told her gently.

Marley blinked a few times and then closed her eyes and Santana felt her grow heavy. She peaked around at Rachel and smiled. "Thank you," Santana told her.

* * *

><p>It had taken thirty minutes to go from the ground floor to the apartment. Marley was in tears and whimpering in true pain as she entered the apartment, also covered in a fine sheen of sweat. "I know princess, I am so sorry," Santana soothed and she carefully guided her with Rachel's help to the apartment. Marley sort of slunk to the floor and Santana helped her, letting her sit so she could catch her breath. She hadn't worked that hard in therapy.<p>

Kurt took a shopping bag full of items into Santana's room and set them up carefully. Supplies to help change Marley when she needed it, as well as the teddy bear Santana had bought her, all those weeks before, and the few items Joe had given her as well. The wooden blocks, he put in a small box and carried it back into the main room. Those blocks were Marley's communication system when she couldn't say the words she wanted to. Right now though, the poor girl was exhausted and in need of a bath.

"Marley baby?" Santana said kneeling down in front of her. "What do you say to a bath and some food?" she asked her. Marley didn't answer, she just whimpered and tried to breathe through what felt like an on coming muscle cramp. "Shall we try sweetheart? Mama Rae can help us. We'll go into the bathroom, have a nice warm bath, and then get you a banana. It's a good source for potassium and we know that helps your muscles recover faster right?" she asked and Marley nodded, but fresh tears spilled down her face. She was just so tired and this was going to be a never ending fight.

The two of them struggled slightly to get her into the bath, but once it was all said and done, Marley and Santana were left alone in the bathroom and Marley seemed to be enjoying the water. Santana had left her in her bra, to spare her some modesty. She'd changed her diapers, but that was a necessity. If she could have found a way to change her without Marley being so exposed, then she would have done it. She figured the least she could do now was let Marley keep her chest covered. "Marley my love, I am so proud of you. You climbed three flights of stairs and made it into the house. That's a major accomplishment. So not only am I proud of you, but you should be proud of you too," Santana said.

Marley looked up at Santana and smiled. "Mommy?" she asked.

"Yes baby?" Marley put her hand in the water, pulled up a palm full of it and then let it pour out of her hands. "Are you making waterfalls?" Santana smiled. Marley liked the smile on Santana's face. It was one of happiness and love. It was safe. Marley returned the smile and then repeated the motion, trying to say the word. "Ah-fah," she said slowly and Santana smiled again. "You can make as many waterfalls as you like baby girl, as long as you keep the water in the tub okay?" she asked and Marley nodded. She put her hand back in the water and then tried to lift it to the top of her head, but all the water was gone before she could get it there. Whatever part of her was in the water felt cleaner, but her chest, face, and hair, still felt disgusting to her.

"Look up there love," Santana smiled once she realized what Marley had wanted. Marley looked up and saw the shower head. "Do you know what that is?" she asked and Marley nodded, immediately looking afraid. "None of that baby. This is a safe house, remember? We talk about everything before we go through with it," Santana said and she waited for Marley to look at her again. "So I was thinking, maybe we pull that down and get it nice and warm and rinse you off that way. Papa has a friend who helped us install a special tank. We don't run out of hot water too often," she smiled. The friend was Burt, but she though that talking about more people would just push Marley over the edge, and right now, her goal was to keep her calm.

Marley thought for many long moments, and finally looked at Santana. "Mommy," she said softly and then looked up at the shower head. Santana smiled pulled it down and put it in Marley's hand.

"I want you to hold it, so you know what it is," Santana said and Marley did as asked.  
>"Now, I have to tell you that it's going to be cold at first, but you're going to hold it over the drain and then once it's warm, we'll use it to wash you," Santana said.<p>

"Me?" Marley asked.

"Did you want to wash Mommy instead?" Santana asked her kindly and Marley smiled and shook her head no. "Oh my goodness, I think I saw a smile," Santana teased and then gave Marley a kiss to her forehead. "I hope I get to see more of those," she said.

"Me?" Marley asked again.

"I'm trying love, give me a minute. Try something else to help me, help you," she said. Marley thought for a moment and then made the waterfall with her hand. "Yes, we have to make a big waterfall for Marley so she can get clean," Santana said kindly. Marley took the shower head in her hand and moved it away from Santana, almost hugging it. "Do you want to wash yourself?" Santana asked and Marley shrugged. "Do you want Mommy to wash you?" she asked and Marley shrugged again. She honestly didn't know. "Alright, let's try something else," Santana said. "We can do it together. When you are ready, you pull the plug. We'll let this water drain out and together, we will wash your body. I'll help with what you struggle with. If you want me to do it for you, you give me the soap, but I'm more than willing to let you do what you can on your own," Santana explained.

Marley thought for a moment and then pushed the shower head to Santana. Climbing the stairs had been a lot and she was starting to get tired and ache. "I want you to be very sure Marley. Mommy will take care of you, I always will, but you have to be the one to make that choice. Too many people took things away from you, when you weren't ready for it, and I won't do that to you," she said.

"Mommy," Marley said nodding and giving Santana the shower head. She reached down to her chest, undid the clip, removed her bra and leaned forward. Santana smiled and felt happy tears sting her eyes. That was huge for Marley. To show so much trust in Santana so quickly, was a gigantic step for her.

"I am very proud of you my sweet girl," Santana said and she set to washing Marley off.

* * *

><p>After the bath was over, Santana called for Rachel to come in and help with pajamas. Basic sweats and tank tops made up pretty much most of Marley's wardrobe. They got Marley dressed, dried her hair and then carefully helped her back into the other room. "Okay princess, you sit here with Mommy today and I will be back later tonight. I have a tech rehearsal to get to," she told her and Marley gave a tearful nod. Rachel gave her a kiss and went to the front door. "I'm on dinner tonight, soup and grilled cheese good for everyone?" she called out.<p>

"I'm on dinner Rach, I'll take care of it!" Kurt yelled to her from the bedroom and Marley just sat with Santana not caring what was going on around her. She was too tired. Kurt returned with Marley's teddy bear and handed it to her and she curled up into Santana and tried to go to sleep. She was exhausted. None of the positions she tired had felt comfortable though and she started to wiggle and squirm trying to get comfy, only making herself angry and frustrated in the process.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked. Anyone could see how tired she was. "My baby girl, I'm so proud of you, let's stretch out though okay?" she asked and Marley whined. "Come on sweetheart, just stretch out, help your muscles relax, and after you take a little rest with me, we'll have a banana together okay?" she asked. Marley whined and fussed and Santana held up her hands in defeat and let Marley be. "Alright then, you get yourself comfortable, and let me know when you're ready," she said. Marley continued to whine and wiggle in frustration. She knew what she wanted, she just couldn't communicate it.

Kurt didn't like the whining, he just wanted to be able to help her. He walked over behind the couch, selected two DVDs and then moved in front of Marley. "Hey sweetheart, look. Papa has two movies, would you like to watch one?" he offered her and she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You don't have to watch any if you don't want to baby," he told her kindly.

"I think that's a good idea. I would love to watch a movie with my baby," Santana said kindly and Marley gave her a curious look before going back to the DVD's. She needed something to focus on, she knew that. Her focus right now was too much on how brand new and different everything was, as well as how she couldn't communicate properly and it was giving her too much anxiety.

Eventually, she curled up on her side and put her head in Santana's lap. Santana combed her fingers through Marley's hair as the opening credits rolled across the screen. Marley stayed stone still, getting used to the fact that it was Santana with her and not Terri. She was doing great, until her tummy rumbled and her leg started to shake. Santana pulled Marley into her lap, held her tight and stood up. "I gotcha baby," she said when Marley started to cry. "I know, I know it's scary, but Mommy won't let go, I promise, try to put your feet straight down," she encouraged. The best way to get the muscle cramps out were to get Marley to stand, but since she could barely support her own weight, Santana had to hold her.

Kurt moved quickly over to them and Marley cried harder. Her stomach had rumbled and her body released whatever it was holding on to. "Shhh," Kurt said gently giving her kisses. "As soon as it's over, we'll get you all cleaned up sweetheart," he promised as he worked her right leg to a more straightened position and Santana kept a tight grip.

"Mommy," she whimpered.

"I'm right here baby," she assured her.

"Ow," she cried.

"I know sweetheart, I know, Mommy's here, you're safe with me. I won't let go baby girl. I'm right here," Santana said gently.

The shaking finally stopped and Kurt looked up at Santana. "Done," he told her and Santana nodded. "Come on Marley, should Mommy and Papa get you to the bathroom?" he asked her.

"Ow," she said sadly.

"I know sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Kurt said kindly.

He and Santana guided her to the bathroom and then Santana moved to her side. "Listen Baby, I know you need to be changed, but Mama Rae left and because you are still gaining strength, Papa has to help me," she told her. Marley shook her head no and began crying even harder. "I know baby, I know, I'm sorry, but it's Papa, it's not that mean man. You know Papa, look at him sweetheart. Look right at him and when you're ready you tell me." Santana held her up and Marley leaned against her, crying, she would never be ready for this. It was too stressful. She closed her eyes and just cried.

"I don't want her to stay in that too much longer," Kurt said kindly.

Santana gave a sad smile. She appreciated how much Kurt and Rachel tried. They didn't know much about her Mistress life and what it was to be in control of someone, but she knew that they were making a great effort when it came to Marley and they kept a very open mind about things. "I know but I don't want her to be pushed too fast."

"Marley, look at Papa honey," Kurt said after quickly rolling his eyes. Santana made sense, but having Marley stay in a dirty diaper for more than ten seconds was just too much for him. She didn't deserve that. "Look baby, look at me. Papa Kurt would never, ever, hurt his little Marley. She is too special and too precious to ever be hurt by someone who loves her," he told her. She hiccuped and gulped, struggling for air. He pet her face gently and breathed with her, trying to get her to fall into a rhythm, much like he'd seen Santana do for her. "Listen baby, Mommy and Papa are going to just pull down your pants and I'm going to hold you while Mommy undoes your diaper, that's all baby, I won't look, I won't do anything but hold my sweet baby girl, because she is too precious to hurt," he said.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"Yes baby, I'm here and I think what Papa is suggesting is a very good idea," she told her. "As soon as we get your messy clothes off, you can sit down and Mommy will clean you up and then we can go cuddle on the couch and eat," Santana said gently, giving Marley sweet kisses to her temple.

Marley was terrified, it was all too much embarrassment in a new place, and lots of work to get herself to a new level of healed. It was too daunting of a task for her. "Shhh, easy baby girl, small steps remember?" Santana asked gently. "Come on, just lean on Mommy, I've got you sweetheart," she assured her. Marley put all her weight, which wasn't much, into Santana and Kurt lowered her sweat pants. "Alright sweetheart, that's all done, lean into Papa, Mommy will do the rest of the work. As soon as you're seated, Papa will leave and Mommy will get you all cleaned up, okay?" Santana cooed gently.

Santana undid the diaper and the smell was very powerful. Santana used every ounce of will power she had not to say anything about it. Kurt was doing his best as well, but Marley screamed in pain and embarrassment as more flowed out of her. "Oh," Santana said quickly. She moved fast, they had Marley sit gently on the toilet and Santana looked at Kurt. "Teddy Bear is in the bag in my room and figure out something for her that's got all that BRAT stuff in it," she said.

He didn't even care that she'd ordered him, instead of asked him. He left the room and returned quickly with Teddy Bear, a small note book that he'd taken notes in for recipe ideas for Marley that he got from the nutritionist on staff, and a small stool for Santana to sit on. "Thought you might need this too," he told her and left to cook for Marley.

Santana sat herself on the stool in front of Marley and coached her breathing while her bowels emptied themselves into the toilet bowl and Marley continued to scream and cry. "Shhh, just breathe my lovely, you can do it, keep breathing," she said and Marley's face contorted in pain. "You're okay love, you are, just breathe, it's almost over," she assured her and then looked down at her watch. "Look sweetheart. See? It's nearly time for Mama Rae to come home, and then you and Mommy, and Mama, and Papa, and even Teddy Bear if you like, can all eat dinner together. First we have to get you cleaned up and I think a bath will help. Can we try?" she asked.

"Mommy," she whimpered.

"I'm right here, baby, try, it's okay," Santana encouraged.

"Bah," she said.

"Yes sweetheart, bath," Santana smiled.

"Ow," she said.

"Yes baby, I'm not going to lie. It might hurt, but only for a little bit, and then it will feel good, and Mommy will never put you straight into a bath, without making you clean first. That's not safe," Santana said and Marley whimpered again. Santana could see her trying to formulate more words, so she waited for a bit and then looked at her. "You can tell me whatever you want sweetheart. Whatever you say, I will try to understand and if I don't, I will have Papa get your blocks, okay?" she asked her and Marley nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Santana reached up and gently wiped them away with her thumbs. Marley hiccuped and looked at Santana "B," she said softly. Santana nodded and Marley tried to continue. "Rrrrr," she said and Satana smiled waiting for more. "A," she said and then she got quiet.

"Any more letters lovely?" she asked. Marley nodded, but couldn't say it. T was the last letter, but to press her tongue up to her teeth was still very painful. Her tongue wasn't healing as fast as the doctors had wanted. "How many more letter baby?" she asked and Marley held up one finger and Santana smiled. "Alright, you stop me when I say it," Santana said and she very slowly sang the alphabet. Marley squinched her eyes shut and whimpered as her bowels emptied again and Santana paused. After it passed she nodded at Santana. When Santana finally go to the letter T, she stopped and smiled. "Alright. my letters are B, R, A, T. Brat?" she asked in confusion and Marley nodded.

"Who's a brat baby?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. "No, no one's a brat. Did someone call you a brat?" she asked and Marley nodded yes, tears quickly flowing. "Who would call my sweet baby girl a brat?" she asked with confusion.

"Mommy," she cried and Santana didn't seem to understand. Marley was trying to communicate, and was obviously scared, but there was another part of her that clearly understood Santana was safe.

Finally recognition crossed over her face and she hung her head. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry, come here," she said and she pulled herself closer to give Marley some tender kisses. She put her hands gently on Marley's cheeks and Marley winced. "Open hands my love, I just want to be sure you feel me and look at me," Santana said continuing to move slowly. "And the answer is no baby, absolutely not. You are not a brat. You are my sweet baby girl Marley and Marley has to eat the BRAT diet to make her tummy better," she said and Marley shook her head no and looked very confused.

"Let's get you cleaned up, dressed, and then back out to Papa, and then you can learn what the BRAT diet is," Santana told her lovingly. "And one more thing. Marley, that was so brave of you to ask your questions. You are a very brave girl and I am so proud of you," she said.

* * *

><p>"I have to yell sweetheart," she told Marley. "I'm not yelling at you, just out to Papa," she explained and waiting for Marley to acknowledge what was about to happen. "KURT!" Santana yelled through the door, keeping her hands over Marley's ears to keep her calm and relaxed.<p>

Marley was seated on the floor in Santana's lap, having her hair combed and braided so that it stayed out of her face.

Kurt walked in and smiled. Marley looked absolutely adorable. "There's my baby girl. You got changed into new jammies," he smiled. She nodded and reached out to him carefully. "Mommy needs help doesn't she?" he asked with a smile and Marley returned the smile. "Well I think I can help out my sweet girl, and Mama Rae just came home, so she can help too," he said and Marely smiled happily. "There's that pretty smile," he praised and moved in to help her stand up. He sat on the stool for leverage and had Santana guide Marley into his arms. Once she was set, he rubbed her back and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh that's not fair," he smiled at Santana.

"I think you found Papa's weak spot baby girl," Santana grinned. Santana carefully stood up and then moved over to Kurt. "Ready big girl? Time to stand up, but I have you close, you're not going to fall," she explained and helped her to stand, using the sink to brace herself and Marley's weight. "Yaaay," Santana cheered softly for her and Marley gave a tired smile. "Alright princess, go with Papa and I'll be right out," Santana said.

"Mommy?"

"Mommy's just going to take a quick shower, I'll be right out I promise," Santana said giving her a gentle kiss. "In fact when you go out to the kitchen, Papa and Mama Rae can explain what the BRAT diet is to you. You my sweet girl are most definitely not a brat," Santana said.

Kurt helped Marley move slowly to the kitchen and had her sit in the chair nearest the wall. Rachel slid in quickly on her left side and smiled. "Hey cutie," she said kissing her cheek.

"Mama Rae," Marley smiled.

"Yes, Mama Rae, I came home, I told you I would," Rachel smiled and gave Marley a hug. "Mama Rae is going to sit here so you don't fall over. Mommy would be very angry if Papa and I let you fall."

"Eff," Marley said.

"Yes, our big girl leans a little bit to the left when she sits up straight, but she's the best big girl we know and she's very smart and sweet," Rachel said giving a wink.

Kurt smiled and took a seat on her other side. "Mommy said I had to explain something to you," he said. "BRAT diet stands for something baby. B for banana, R for rice, A for applesauce and T for toast, so Papa made dinner, which you can eat, but before you do, will you let Mama Rae feed you some banana?" he asked her.

"He'p," Marley said.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mama Rae will help you. You can do as much by yourself as you want, we will never stop you from doing that," Kurt assured her.

"Let's try sweetheart," Rachel said gently. "Will you eat with Mama Rae?" Rachel asked her. "Come on, let's get Marley a banana. I bet it'll help with all those muscle cramps," she coached and handed the banana to Marley.

"Mama," Marley said softly. "He'p," she said.

"Help? I can help you honey. Here, I'll peel it for you okay?" she asked. "Put your hands on me, we'll do it together," Rachel said and Marley looked at her with very tired eyes. "Oh baby," she sighed and she scooted even closer. She wrapped one arm around Marley's shoulder. "Rest against me honey, and just take bites whenever you're ready," Rachel told her, petting her hair and letting Marley rest against her.

Santana stepped out of the bathroom a while later and smiled. Marley was slumped in an awkward position, but she didn't seem to be in pain. She was now shorter than Rachel, and Rachel had to turn and tuck her head in order to guide that banana to Marley's mouth, concerned that she'd make a mess on the poor girl. Santana watched for two more bites, before shaking her head and speaking up. "You're supposed to feed her, not put her to sleep," she said noticing how heavy Marley's eyes were.

"She ate half," Rachel defended.

"I'll take it," Santana smiled.

"Mah-my," Marley yawned.

"Hey baby girl," Santana said and she walked over and knelt in front of her. "Is my big girl ready for bed?" she asked her and Marley gave a tired smile. "You ate half your banana I'm very proud of you baby. If you get hungry later you let me know okay?" she said and Marley gave a tiny nod and a loud yawn. "How about we get Marley to bed, to rest, she looks very very tired," Santana said kindly and Rachel smiled at how maternal Santana actually was. She seemed to always know when it was appropriate to treat Marley like a traumatized teenager and a toddler who was learning things for the first time.

"Beh," Marley said.

"Yes baby, Mommy will take you to bed," Santana said and she carefully helped her to stand, wrapping her arms tight around Marley's waist and then carefully using her feet to move Marley's and shuffle her across the room and into Santana's bedroom.

She got her into the bedroom and had her lay down on the bed. "Sleep baby girl," she said gently as she pet her hair and then she got up to leave. Marley tried to sit up and grab Santana but she lurched in such a way, her body contorted in pain and she screamed. Kurt and Rachel went running. "What?" Santana asked quickly and helped her to lie back down. "Shhh, shhh, what's wrong love?" she asked and Marley hung on tightly to Santana trembling and crying. She didn't want Santana to leave her alone, but her open mouth wails prevented her from communicating that.

"Spasm?" Rachel asked from the doorway and Santana shook her head.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy," Marley cried holding tight to Santana and shaking.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, let's sleep baby, I know you're tired. It's okay, Mommy's here," she assured her. "Is it sleepy time for Marley?" she asked her kindly. She hated slipping into baby talk, but sometimes, that was the only way she could reach through the haze in Marley's brain. Terri had brain washed her and only spoke in baby talk, so ssometimes, she had to do the same. To Santana's surprise, Marley cried, held on tight, and nodded weakly. "You know what? We don't have Teddy Bear do we? Let's ask Papa or Mama Rae to get Teddy Bear for us," she said kindly.

"I'll be right back," Rachel smiled and she left the room.

"Rest up baby girl, we'll see you when you wake up," Kurt said kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

Rachel returned with Teddy Bear. and took a seat next to Santana since Marley was now seated in her lap, much like they had been in the cab ride. "Can Mama Rae see your tongue?" she asked gently bumping her forehead onto Marley's as she rested on Santana, knowing she was in safe arms. She carefully opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. Rachel saw all the sores and blisters, but kept her face neutral and gave a kind smile. "I can do that too," Rachel giggled sticking her tongue back out at Marley who only smiled. "I think you look beautiful Marley and pretty soon, your tongue will be all healed," she told her.

Marley whimpered and Santana sighed. She looked at Rachel and frowned. "Keep her for a second, I have to move," she said. Rachel slipped in and Santana scooted back.

"Mommy!" Marley screamed.

"Shhh, she's right there honey, hold on one moment," Rachel cooed softly, but was no use. Marley was beyond exhausted. She had entered full baby mode now. Santana was her Mommy and as baby Marley, she needed her mommy, and continued to just wail and cry hysterically. Santana laid down on her side and then pulled Marley in with her, so they were spooning on the bed. Marley gasped and hiccuped, her body still getting used to all the new feelings she was experiencing, as Santana held her.

"I'm right here baby. Mommy's here, you're safe. This is just like the hospital. We lay here together to rest. Just rest my love, you're okay," Santana soothed and began to sing softly to keep Marley calm. Singing was a great tool for them to be using. It didn't always work, but when it did, it was a God send. Rachel had let them be for twenty minutes before going back into the bedroom to check on them.

Santana quickly put her finger to her lips and Rachel nodded. She got on the bed, lying in front of Marley and smiled when she saw the teddy bear tucked tight in Marley's arms. Marley fussed slightly, as a dream started to take over her sleep, but both Rachel and Santana hushed her until she relaxed.

"Go on, I can wait a little bit more, before I come join you guys for dinner," Santana said.

"What about her?" Rachel asked propping herself up on her elbow so she and Santana were in much the same position.

"She's nearly asleep," Santana said.

"What was with the screaming a little bit ago?" Rachel asked kindly.

"I don't know, she may just have wanted Mommy," Santana said simply, but Rachel could see her jaw struggling to stay still.

"Don't try to hide your smile," Rachel scolded. "You love that she calls you that, and you love being that for her. You love the control that comes with it, but you respect it to a point that she has never understood. Plus I like seeing you smile," Rachel grinned and kissed Santana's forehead. "I will leave the Mommy with her baby," she said and left the room so Santana could get Marley to sleep, fully this time, and then she would join her room mates for dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my dear readers...Here it is, Chapter 6. I am going to be putting the warning out on all chapters from now on, as to what the topic of discussion will be, because I don't want anyone too surprised by something. So for this chapter, the issues, are Marley's healing body and trust issues! For the healing body, expect MINOR discussion of bodily functions. For trust issues, expect a cliffhanger, and know that next chapter is going to be even heavier than this one!**

**As always many many thanks to my readers, I love the reviews and PM's that I'm getting and I'm really glad you are all enjoying the story so much. **

**Lastly, many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspirations. I promise you, iv you have not checked out their stories, you SHOULD! They are incredible! Chapter 7 will be up next week.**

* * *

><p>The next morning Santana woke up early and took her phone with her into the kitchen while she worked out a breakfast. Her phone rang moments later. "Hello?" she asked as kindly as she could grimacing when she saw the name on the caller ID.<p>

"Yes, is Santana there?" April asked.

"This is she."

"This is April, Marley's speech therapist," she said.

"I'm aware," Santana said with a bit of a bite.

"You can knock off the attitude Santana because despite your very strong opinion, my job is to help Marley and after a lot of research, I think I've figured out how to help her move along, but I need your help to do it."

Santana sighed and moved around the kitchen to look into the bedroom, to keep an eye on Marley. "Okay, you have my attention," she said.

"After weeks of research, it has come to my attention, that a pacifier may actually be the key to getting her to heal."

"Terri soaked them in vinegar, she's afraid of them now," Santana said and she watched Marley wiggle around a bit and whimper softly. "Hold on please," she said. Santana peaked around the corner and saw Marley starting to get more and more restless and the seconds went by. Rachel was already awake and in the kitchen trying to make something more for them than Santana had come up with. There was a reason that Santana was relieved of breakfast duty. "Rae, go check on her please?" she asked and Rachel nodded and left. "Continue please," she said going back to April. She was trying very hard to ignore the cries of her baby.

"Santana you get her to do amazingly progressive things. Things that Joe and I can't get her to do. She trusts you. I'm going to give you all the tools you need and then let you take it from there. I know it sounds counterintuitive at best, but if she keeps the pacifier, she won't dry out her mouth. It won't be coated in anything either. She'll be using her own saliva to keep the soft tissues lubricated, and she's had enough juice go into her that the sores on her cheeks are healing. I know it sounds wrong, but she needs this, and I'm going to give you all the medical and dental scientific studies to prove it to you. Your job is to get her sucking on a pacifier, hopefully at night as well as whenever she wants, by the end of the week," April said.

"My email is," she started and a loud scream cut through the air and the phone.

"Go. I will get it from the hospital staff," April said and she hung up.

Santana went toward the bedroom, to find Marley curled into Rachel and wailing. "Hey, hey, hey," Rachel said kindly. "Marley, it's me, it's Rachel honey, it's just Mama Rae, you're okay," Rachel tried and Santana wanted to rush to her little girl's side, but something in Rachel's voice, made her wait. Marley was gripping tightly to Rachel's body, trembling, and still stuck in whatever nightmare she was having. "Marley, look baby, look at me, you're okay, it's just Mama Rae," Rachel said again and Marley crumbled in defeat and continued wailing. "You're Mommy is going to think I'm beating you," Rachel said adjusting her slightly. She rocked her gently and hummed some nonsense song, waiting for her to calm down.

Marley rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and Santana smiled. Rachel had it under control, so Santana used the moment to sneak away to check her email. True to her word, April sent over several links for why pacifiers were good for babies, curing dry mouth, and how adults still used them to keep calm when they were under highly stressful situations. The next part of the email explained that Marley would need a Nuk5. _ "Google that and you should get several hits. She's your little girl, you know her best, and I know what I'm doing with my patient. If you have any questions call or email _

_April"_

Santana took a deep breath and looked over at the bedroom where Rachel was still singing to Marley. She smiled and went over to the bedroom and move to sit next to her. "There's my baby girl," she said happily and Marley tried to crawl into Santana's lap but she let out a cry of pain, because going over to Santana required a lot of movement. Santana very gently pulled her close and rubbed her back. "Where's Teddy Bear?" she asked her and Rachel smiled and picked it up, giving it to her. "There's Teddy Bear, say thank you Mama Rae?" she coached.

"Mama," Marley said softly.

"Anything for our little girl," Rachel said and kissed her forehead. Marley's belly gurgled and Santana gave her a kiss.

"I think someone's hungry," she said kindly. "Should we have applesauce on toast?" she asked and Marley whimpered. She didn't want to do anything today. She wanted Santana to hold her forever and be the baby girl that they kept calling her. She held tight to Santana not wanting to let go and Santana sighed. She nudged Rachel's foot and smiled. "Help please?' she asked.

Rachel nodded and stood up. She opened her arms and Santana guided Marley into them.

"Mommy," Marley cried, panicking when Santana 'pushed' her away.

"I'm here love, you're okay. we just have to move you to the other room and I need Mama Rae to help me," she assured her standing up.

"Mommy," Marley cried again. Santana moved close to her and Marley hung on tightly, needing to have Santana hold her.

"Shhh, I'm right here baby, you're okay, Mommy's got you," she told her gently and Rachel frowned. According to all of Santana's descriptions, Marley hadn't been this clingy before and she was concerned that something was very wrong. "Look at Mommy baby," she said kindly and she waited for Marley to look at her. "Time for breakfast sweetheart," she told her and Marley nodded and went back to resting her head on Santana's shoulder. She didn't want to leave her arms at all, which was going to be problematic throughout the day.

Santana was working on staying calm, and Rachel moved to the kitchen to fix breakfast. She made a slice of toast and looked at Santana. "Applesauce?" she asked. Santana picked up Teddy Bear and carefully moved herself and Marley to the kitchen.

"Yes please," she said and she sat down, only to have Marley fuss and squirm until she got comfortable and then went back to resting her head on Santana's shoulder. "What happened to my lovely girl?" she asked gently and Marley let out a soft whimper.

"Mommy," Marley cried softly.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay, let's eat breakfast baby. Look, Mama Rae fixed you toast with applesauce and we'll go nice and slow," she told her lovingly as she pet her hair and Marley looked scared. She tried to make herself very small in Santana's arms and let out a soft noise of complaint. "Little baby bites my love," Santana told her and she kept her close while Rachel ripped up the toast.

"Here you go sweetheart," Rachel said gently and she offered Marley a bite which Marley accepted. She was very hungry, and Santana promised the toast would help heal her tummy, but there were two things that were more important at the moment. Marley just wanted to have Mommy hold her all day, and she didn't want to do anything grown up. She'd had too hard a night, too many terrible dreams, and she woke up to Rachel. She loved Rachel, very much, but Rachel wasn't Santana.

"Mama," Marley whimpered.

"Yes baby, you eat for Mommy and Mama Rae, and then maybe later we look for some accessories for my baby girl," Santana said holding Marley while she ate. She ate one third of her toast, before whimpering and turning away pushing her face into Santana's shoulder.

"No more?" Rachel asked kindly and Marley started to cry.

"Shhh, no need to cry baby, you're okay, you did very well, I'm very proud of you," Santana said and she held her close and looked at Rachel. "Can you get me a bagel and cream cheese?" she asked and Marley went rigid. "Shhh, rest baby, you're okay," Santana assured her and she fished around for Teddy Bear. "Here sweetheart, have this, you're okay, Mommy's here," she said and Marley stayed as still and stiff as possible.

Rachel fixed two bagels for them and sat down. "So what are your plans for today?" she asked Santana kindly.

"I have to go through some emails," she said and shot Rachel a very stern look, one that was well practiced in high school, before she put it to good use at her job. Rachel rolled her eyes and picked up Santana's phone and looked at the email on the screen. She read it over several times and looked at Santana questioningly.

"Anything else?" Rachel asked kindly.

Santana smiled and looked at Rachel. "I was thinking that maybe Mommy, Mama Rae, and Marley could all watch some tv together," she said and Rachel nodded. "Where's Kurt?" she asked after a moment.

"Early morning auditions," Rachel said and tapped a few keys on Santana's phone to bring up a google display of this Nuk5. Marley started to sink a bit in Santana's arms and Rachel smiled, taking a bite of her own bagel, before feeding a bite to Santana. "You looked like you could use some help," she said with a smirk.

"I actually need to call Miss Susan. Will you sit with her?" she asked. Rachel nodded and moved in close.

"Marley baby, I know you're so tired sweetheart, how about we go lay on the couch together while Mommy makes a phone call okay?" she asked gently.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"Mommy isn't going anywhere baby. I'm staying right here, I just have to make a phone call and then the three of us can cuddle on the couch and watch movies all morning," Santana said.

"Come on love. You come sit with Mama Rae, and we'll find something we can all watch alright?" she asked her kindly. Marley went but she was a sobbing mess. Rachel helped her to lay down on the couch, covered her in a blanket and put Marley's head in her lap. "Shhh, you're okay sweetheart," she said and Marley started to fuss and whine again. "Alright, let's try something different," she said and carefully she and Marley wiggled into a more comfortable position. Rachel stretched out on the couch and Marley laid on top of her, her head resting on Rachel's chest, just below her collar bone, the sound of a heartbeat, finally breaking through all of Marley's sobs and whimpers. "You're safe Marley. Mommy is right over there and she'll be here to join us very shortly," she told her. Marley just cried herself to sleep on Rachel's body, her hands having a death grip on Rachel's shirt.

* * *

><p>Susan looked around the room and sighed. There was a massive mess of toys on the floor of the nursery room and she shook her head and smiled. She pulled out her phone and took a few pictures before going up to the front desk.<p>

"Nicole love, can you send these five pictures to little Joey, he'll be getting a reminder lesson on his next visit about how important it is to pick up toys," she said seriously and Nicole nodded.

"Oh, and before I forget, this is from Santana. She called earlier wanting to talk to you, but you were in session," she said handing her the message.

"Is she alright?" Susan asked reading it over.

"She just sounded stressed, and her little girl was in the background bawling it sounded like."

"Poor Santana, she's doing her best and she still feels so lost," she sighed and went to talk to Beth.

She knocked softly on the office door and Beth didn't look up from her paperwork. "Come in," she called.

Susan walked in, sat down, and smiled. "I need a consult please," she said.

"You?" Beth asked with concern.

"Not for me, for Santana, she called earlier and asked for help. Before I go talking to her, I wanted to talk to you," Susan said.

"Do you think I know more about little ones than you?" Beth asked on a challenge.

"Not at all Miss, I think you know Santana better than I do though, and I think we should come up with a plan together, so that she feels more sure of herself and can gain back some of her confidence," Susan said and Beth smiled.

Standing up, Beth moved over to Susan and gave her a strong and loving kiss. "There is a reason we have you as our head Nanny my darling," she told her. "On your next off session, I want you to schedule something special for yourself, okay?" she asked and Susan nodded. "Now, what should we do to help Santana?" she asked.

"Santana doesn't know how to introduce pacifiers into the daily routine."

"Why pacifiers?"

"The speech therapist sent over documentation stating that pacifiers will help at night. If she keeps her mouth closed while she sleeps, the sores won't dry up. She won't wake up in pain every morning, but because Terri abused her and made everything that should be fun, torturous. Santana is confused. She wants to help her get over that and apparently all Marley has done as of," she explained pausing to look at the message in her hand, "nine this morning and three thirty this afternoon, is cry and sleep."

"That's a very stressful day. Alright, get me the speech therapist on the phone, I'll talk to her. You call Santana give her some kind of comfort, insight to what might be making Marley so upset, and then we'll set up a skype tonight. I have a session pretty soon. As soon as I finish that, I will help Santana in any way I can," she said.

Susan nodded and left the room. She went into the conference room and dialed Santana. After two rings, a different voice answered. "Ms. Lopez," Kurt said.

"Yes, is Santana there please?"

"Um, she's a little busy at the moment. Who's calling please?" he asked.

"My name is Susan, I'm calling from Eve's Garden."

"Oh, the club, okay, hold on," he said hurriedly.

"It's alright dear," Susan started.

"No, it's okay. She's waiting to talk to you, she's just having a small argument with Marley. Give me a few moments please," he said and put the phone down.

In the background, Susan heard soft murmurs and then screams of anxiety and then Santana got on the phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"Well hello yourself my love," Susan smiled and Santana broke down into tears. "Oh honey," she said.

"It's... It's just so much, and I, I don't know, how... how to make her feel any better. She's been crying all day, trying to stay in my arms, and I love her, but sometimes a person likes to go to the bathroom in privacy. I'm messing this up, I don't know what to do," she said not paying attention to what was going on in the other room and trying to control her own breathing

"Santana honey. You aren't messing this up. Marley loves you a great deal. She trusts you and while it is nice to go to the bathroom alone, isn't it nice to know that Marley doesn't care about any of that? All she is focused on is that her Mommy is with her. That's what you were afraid wouldn't happen, so I want you to see this as a success," she told her. "That's first, secondly, I want you to listen. What do you hear?"

"Nothing," Santana said after a moment and she started to cry all over again.

"It's alright sweetheart, that's a good thing. Marley is with your room mates and in good hands and obviously they have gotten her to accept that they are safe as well," Susan said.

"I can't mess this up Miss Susan," Santana said worriedly.

"I know that's what you're afraid of darling and I'm so proud of you for admitting it," Susan praised. "I spoke to Miss Beth honey. We want to help you as much as we can, so you just have to hang in there for a few more hours and then as soon as Miss Beth is done with her last session, we'll set up a Skype. In the mean time, I have some tips for you do deal with fussy babies okay?" she asked.

"Fussy is an understatement," Santana laughed, brushing away her tears.

Susan smiled and spoke kindly. "First you cover the basics. Is she wet, dirty, or hungry. If the answer to all those is no, in Marley's case, you check for muscle spams. I know you know how to do that. Joe told us how wonderful you are with her. If that's still not the problem, I want you to check for sleep. She's going to have a tell, it's almost like poker. Look for something that she does repeatedly and then watch if her eyes get heavy, or if she's cuddled into you, her body will get heavy as sleep tries to take over her. She might try to fight it though, so you have to watch for that. The last thing to look for is anxiety. If something is stressing her out, it doesn't matter how tired she is, the anxiety will keep her up and awake and tired," Susan explained and as she spoke Santana wrote everything down.

"Okay, I think I can handle that. Does Marley need to be around for skype?" she asked.

"From what it sounds like, you're not going to be able to let her go. If she's there, that's fine, if she isn't that's fine too. She can come and go as she pleases alright? Miss Beth and I don't have any problem with that, and if need be, based on what you're saying, I'm willing to even talk to your room mates, while you spend time with Marley" Susan explained.

"Thank you Miss Susan," Santana said calming down, feeling a little bit better.

"Santana, you are strong and powerful, and we are very proud of you here," Susan told her.

* * *

><p>"Marley, you have to eat sweetheart," Rachel told her. It was now dinner time. Marley was dressed in her pajamas for the evening. She was seated in Kurt's lap, because when she sat on her own, she kept toppling over to the side and he was afraid she was going to hurt herself. It wasn't even just to the left, it was both directions. She was exhausted and holding herself up properly was just too much for her. It also didn't help that her Mommy wasn't there.<p>

"Papa made your favorite too sweetheart. Look, chicken and mushrooms and rice, you love all of those things and the rice will help your tummy," Rachel tried.

"Mommy," Marley whined.

"Shhh, no whining sweetheart. Mommy is in the shower, she'll be out very soon. Listen to me. If you want to feed yourself you can. If you want one of us to do it, we will, but you have to tell me what you want. I'm not a mind reader my love," Rachel said kindly, hoping she sounded like Santana. She'd been studying her for the past twenty four hours. Sometimes Santana was very gentle and sometimes she was a little bit firmer.

Marley saw the steam billowing off of her plate, that looked entirely too large to begin with and she started to cry all over again. Terri used to feed her food that was too hot. She'd have to swallow it fast and burn her esophagus, or spit it out. Most times it would burn her face and she would make a mess of herself. Once she spit it out in her hand and burned her palm it was so hot. If she didn't finish food, Terri accused her of being wasteful, if she ate too much, Terri would force her to throw some of it up, telling her she was being too greedy and would get fat. Marley now had a terrible relationship with food and the plate before her, while it smelled good, was just too big, and seemingly too hot for her.

She was now shaking and Kurt looked at Rachel. "She's remembering something," she said. "Look, her eyes are all glassed over," she continued looking at her and Kurt sighed.

"She's in my lap facing away, I can't really look," he said rolling his eyes.

"I hate that I don't know how to fix this," she said sadly.

"She's only been here for two days, you have to give it some time."

"I feel like I don't have it," she said honestly.

"You have all the time in the world," he assured her.

Santana soon walked into the kitchen and stood behind Rachel, rubbing her shoulders as Marley sat on Kurt's lap and cried, not even noticing that Santana had returned. She was off in her head somewhere. "What's for dinner?" Santana asked kindly and smiled sadly when Marley started crying harder and turned in toward Kurt, putting her head on his shoulder and trying to calm down, having a very difficult time of it.

"Chicken and mushroom soup with rice. It's been in the slow cooker all day," Kurt smiled.

"Oooh, my favorite," she grinned and continued to hug Rachel from behind as she watched. She could feel tension radiating off of Rachel, and she wanted to assure someone that things were gonig to be okay, even if that someone was Rachel. Santana continued to watch as Marley's cries got worse, and she went further and further into past memories. Marley moved herself so she was facing Kurt and her head went straight to his shoulder and she started to cry harder.

"Help," he said to Santana.

To everyone's surprise, Santana kissed Rachel's temple softly and then picked up the plate of food. She moved it over to a small table behind Kurt, then she picked up the chair, moved it behind him and took a seat. Deep down she loved that Marley had wanted her all day, but it was nice to have a break and watch Kurt try to bond a little better with Marley.

Santana picked up a fork and put a tiny little bit of food on it. She pulled it to her lips and blew gently, the hissing sound made Marley look at her with confusion. "Hey baby girl are you cuddled with Papa?" she asked her gently and pet her face, doing her best to move slowly so Marley didn't flinch. She still panicked when people moved an open palm near her face.

"Papa," Marley whimpered.

"Yes, Papa, he's good at cuddling isn't he?" Santana asked with a smile. It was that same sweet smile that she'd given her in the bathtub the day before. That gentle maternal smile that was coming out a lot more now that she was fully submersed in her Mommy type world. She was feeling a little more refreshed now that she'd had a shower, and knew that she was going to be talking to Susan and Beth later.

"Mommy," Marley said softly.

"Is Mommy good at cuddling too?" she asked her and Marley gave a very faint smile as Santana continued to blow on the hot food. "Who else is here baby?" she asked her. "Who else is sitting down with us?" she asked gently.

"Mama," Marley said softly and sadly, keeping her head tucked as tight to Kurt's shoulder as she could.

"Very good, and you know what, Papa made a very yummy dinner, and it's going to help your poor upset tummy feel so much better," Santana said honestly. Marley licked her lips and Santana smiled continuing to blow on the food, she knew what was freaking Marley out. "You know what, I think it's cool now, how about you take a tiny bite," she said and brought it to Marley's lips. Marley opened her mouth cautiously and then quickly closed it. "It's not that hot baby, I promise."

"Owie," Marley whimpered.

"No baby. No owie. It's not hot at all, here, you touch it first," Santana offered and she put it near Marley's hand and cupped her free hand underneath, so that in case it fell, she would be able to catch it. "It's alright Marley," Santana promised and instead of touching the food, Marley opened her mouth and waited for Santana to feed her. Marley ate the bite and then began reaching for Santana. She really wanted her Mommy, but she was going to have to crawl over Kurt to do it, and that was going to be painful.

Rachel watched happily and nodded her approval of everything to Kurt. Kurt then gave Marley a kiss to her temple. "Mmm," Santana smiled. "Is that good baby?" she asked.

"Mommy," she whimpered.

"I'm right here love, I'll feed you as much as you want to eat, but sit with Papa. He loves you so much," Santana said and Marley opened her mouth, ready for the next bite. "Do you want to blow on it this time?" Santana offered and Marley did. It was a very slow dinner, but eventually Marley finished half her plate and turned away, indicating she was full. "Alright, Mommy's going to wrap this up and you can have more tomorrow at lunch time," she said.

"Mommy," Marley whined, fresh tears immediately springing to her eyes.

"Please don't whine my love," Santana said.

"You sit with your baby, I will put away the left overs," Kurt said quickly. They changed positions and Santana stood up, holding Marley to her. Marley put her head on Santana's shoulder, keeping a death grip on Santana's pajama top.

"Shh, I'm here sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. Mommy loves her Marley, very much," she said and Marley started to calm down. "My good girl, come on, let's go walk over to the computer and have a seat. Mommy has a meeting in about ten minutes," she told her and she opened the skype program. Marley curled up in her lap and tucked her head down under Santana's chin. She turned into her chest and whimpered softly. "You're okay baby," Santana cooed gently, holding her little girl and being sure to keep her close while she searched through some sites. "Oooh, we forgot Teddy Bear, should we get Teddy Bear?" she asked her.

"I'll get it," Rachel said and she put down the clean dishes and went to help.

"Can you say thank you to Mama Rae?" Santana coached.

"Mama," Marley said with a slight smile.

"So precious my love," Rachel said and with a kiss to Marley's forehead, she left Mommy and Baby alone. She stood back watching and smiled when she noticed Santana rocking Marley gently from side to side and it impressed her more that Marley was actually falling asleep. "How are you going to move when she's out?" Rachel asked curiously.

"You and Papa over there are going to have to help me," she said.

The skype session went off and Santana quickly answered. "Good evening Miss Susan and Miss Beth," she said once they came into view on the screen.

"I see you have a very sleepy little one," Susan grinned.

"Luckily, yes," Santana said.

"Did you figure anything out after your conversation with Susan today sweetheart?" Beth asked.

"She's very anxious, but I don't know why," Santana said.

"Alright love, let's work backwards. What happened yesterday?" Beth asked.

"I'm not sure Miss. We moved her into the house. It took us half and hour for her to get up the stairs and then we spent the whole day all together. Well most of it. Rachel had a tech to get to, but other than that, we all spent the day together."

"Does she trust them?" Beth asked raising an eyebrow, apparently working something out that Santana hadn't thought of."

"I think she does. She seems to. She let's them hold her and be with her, and she'll even let Kurt be around when we change her, but if I'm not there she tends to get very upset. It usually has to be me who changes her, Ma'am," Santana said.

"It's okay to drop formalities my love, but thank you," Beth told her kindly and Santana nodded.

"Did she give you a tell yet for when she's sleepy?" Susan asked.

"I think so, she tends to put her head on our shoulders. No matter who is holding her," Santana said and Marley started to fuss. "Shhh, calm down baby, I'm here," she said sweetly.

"I want to watch Santana," Beth said kindly. "Take care of her, but let us watch, let us see if we can pick up on some other clue," she said.

Santana nodded and Marley started to cry. "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on my love?" she asked.

"Mommy."

"I"m right here baby, let's figure out what's wrong," Santana said kindly. She helped Marley adjust. Having her head on Santana's shoulder had been her go to all day long. She did it immediately and then her stomach rumbled.

"Ow," Marley whined.

"Ow means potty, should we go into the bathroom love? Should we go sit on the potty and try?" she asked gently. She heard herself and rolled her eyes. "I don't know when I started calling it that," she said thoughtfully. "Marley, that's not fair of me. What word do you like. Potty or toilet?" she asked and Marley whined and didn't answer.

"Why does that matter Santana?" Susan asked kindly and curiously, being sure to keep any accusatory tone out of her voice.

"Potty is a very baby word, and while Marley is _my_ baby, she's not _a_ baby. I don't want to make her feel as if I'm degrading her. I'll call it whatever she wants, but she should get a say in things. It's her life," Santana said.

"I like that answer," Susan said.

"Mommy, Ow," Marley cried.

"Alright, excuse us please ladies," Santana said and they carefully stood and Marley started to cry. "I know love, I know, but I can't carry you, as much as I want to, I'm sorry baby," she said and very carefully walked Marley to the bathroom. It was a very slow shuffle. "Rachel, I need help," Santana said. She put Marley's feet on hers and walked them into the bathroom, helping her to sit on the toilet. Marley let out a cry as her stomach rumbled a second time. "Hold her, I'll get this undone," Santana said. "Hold on to Mama Rae baby, you're okay," she told her gently and Marley carefully wrapped her arms around Rachel, trying to stay calm.

She sat down on the toilet and began screaming in pain. "Crap. Kurt! Tell Miss Susan and Miss Beth, I'm going to be a while," she said seeing how much pain Marley was in. The BRAT diet was working, but not fast enough, and when Marley went to the bathroom, it was like liquid fire pouring out of her body. When you mixed that, with the rash and two blisters that were still healing on her very delicate skin, she didn't know what else to do but scream and cry, and she knew it was okay to do that now.

Kurt went to the computer and waved. "Hello um, Misses, no wait, crap! Hold on please. Santana! Is it Misses or Ma'ams," he yelled and Susan and Beth both giggled.

"It doesn't matter!" Santana called back.

"Marley baby, don't tell Papa we know, but women in control make him very nervous," Rachel said with a slight smirk.

"They make Mama Rae nervous too," Santana said and Marley leaned toward her left, unable to hold herself up any longer, falling into Rachel who simply kissed her temple and let her rest against her as she sat.

"Not as bad as Papa," Rachel told her softly.

"Well what do I tell them?" Kurt yelled.

"Oh for the love of," Santana said and she crouched in front of Marley. "Can you wait with Mama Rae baby? Or do you want Papa to come in too?"

"Mama," Marley said.

"Alright sweetheart. Sit here with Mama Rae, I will be back very shortly," she promised her. She moved into the other room and shook her head. "Go, I'll do it," Santana told him kindly and as soon as Santana was out of the room, Marley started crying, wishing her Mommy would come back.

"What's happened dear?" Beth asked.

"She's in the bathroom and it's like liquid fire is pouring out of her. As soon as she's done, I'll get her cleaned up and we'll go back to resting and she will most likely fall to sleep, or be hungry. She does get hungry and she does make it clear that she wants food, so I'm grateful for that," she explained.

"That's good Santana, that's actually very good, but we've been thinking. Marley wanted to be a baby, because she thought it would be a very great experience."

"Instead she fell into the hands of the devil and now she's this broken, sad, creature," she said sadly.

"She's not broken, Santana, you are helping her, and you're doing more than you think. You automatically call it potty, and she didn't fight you. She didn't even choose, which makes me think one of two things. She still wants what she originally wanted, and with you while she may feel safe, she's embarrassed to tell you she still wants it."

"Or?" Santana asked raising an eyebrow.

"Or, she's still healing and she can't communicate properly. You talk to her in a very gentle tone, which is what she wanted. You're doing wonderful, so what you have to do now, is talk to Marley and explain to her gently that the pacifier won't hurt her anymore. Or anything else for that matter. Baby things are not dangerous. Terri made her think they are, but you and I both know that they aren't," Beth explained.

"Miss Beth is right sweetheart. I want you to get a pacifier for her and I want Marley to be a part of the process. Be patient, it's going to take her, from the sound of it, a very long time to get used to it. Make sure you go over every detail and slowly slip in the explanations as to why she needs it," Susan said.

"What about Kurt and Rachel?"

"Have them be a part of it. Do things together as a family, as much as you can. She doesn't have to be overwhelmed, but she does have to know that she's supported, no matter what," Beth said.

"MOMMY!" Marley screamed in the background.

"Santana! Blood!" Rachel called.

"Gotta go," Santana said kindly.

"Be careful, call me if you need anything," Susan said and the skype call ended.

Santana went into the bathroom and Marley was in floods of tears. "Is she hemorrhaging?"

"No, I think a scar opened up and it's stinging her," Rachel said.

"Alright baby girl, we need to get you clean. You cry and scream as much as you feel you need to," Santana told her gently, petting her face and her hair.

Marley continued to cry and Santana had Marley bend forward, just a little bit. "Where?" she asked Rachel softly. Rachel pulled back the soft cloth that was currently pressed to Marley's bottom and when she pulled it away, there was a tiny amount of blood, smeared in a semi circle. There was also solid waste in the toilet. "Marley, you pooped," Santana said and Marley started to cry harder, her stomach rumbling again. Santana looked at Rachel and seemed to smile happily.

"I think Mommy's lost her mind," Rachel said kindly and gave Marley repeated soft kisses to her temple, to try and reassure her that everything was okay and they would get her out of pain as soon as they could.

"If she pooped, it means her intestines are healing. Pretty soon, no more brat diet, and no more liquid fire," Santana said. "Marley honey, look at Mommy," she said kneeling back down in front of her. "Mama Rae and I will clean you up. Once you're ready, we'll go sit on the couch and cuddle and watch tv, but I want you to know two things. First, I am very proud of you that you've worked so hard that your body is healing. Secondly, do you remember when I first met you? I told you that I would always reward good behavior, so you and I, and Mama Rae, and Papa are all going to talk, and we're going to figure out a good reward for our Marley," she said kissing her forehead and petting her cheeks gently.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered softly.

"I'm right here baby girl, and you did so well today. I am so proud of you," Santana told her. "I have to go get you new jammies, will you sit with Mama Rae a little longer? Then I'll be back to give you a bath," she told her. "Mama Rae can clean you up okay?" she asked.

Marley nodded her agreement and Santana left.

* * *

><p>It was an hour later when all the members of the house were settled on the couch. Marley was curled tight between Santana and Kurt, and Rachel was resting on Santana's other side. Santana picked up her phone and tapped a few keys. "Marley, look at this picture baby, do you know what this is?" Santana asked pulling up a picture of a pacifier and showing it to her.<p>

"I know!" Kurt said excitedly and Rachel smiled and Santana laughed.

"Very good Papa, but I didn't ask you," Santana said. "Do you know what that is my love?" she asked Marley and Marley sat stone still, but blinked. Due to her position Santana couldn't see. "Should we let Papa say it? I think he's going to burst if he doesn't get to tell me," Santana laughed.

"It's a pacifier!" he said and then he shot daggers at Santana. He didn't understand why she was showing Marley something that clearly scared her so much.

"He's so smart," Rachel said rolling her eyes.

"Do you know what people use them for Marley?" Santana asked and again Marley blinked, but it couldn't be seen. Santana felt nothing but tension in Marley's body and it was killing her that her baby was so scared of a simple pacifier. "Maybe Mama Rae knows," Santana suggested.

"I know some babies use them for comfort. They like to suck on them, and it helps them relax," Rachel said reaching over to play with Marley's hair as she spoke. "I also know that there are some grown ups who use them for bad reasons, like drugs and torture," she said and Santana shot her a look. "But I also know that there are some grown ups who use them just the way babies do. They use them to relax and calm their nerves. It gives them something easy to focus on, helps them calm their breathing, and their stress starts to go away. It's just a little more obvious than some other focusing techniques," Rachel explained and Santana nodded her approval.

"That's right, and I know that a long time ago, my sweet Marley wanted it to be something of comfort, but a very mean lady took that away from her," Santana said. "See baby, Mommy wants to give Marley a reward for her hard work and wonderful behavior," Santana said and Marley shook her head no, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Bah, baby," she whimpered.

"Marley's a bad baby?" Kurt asked her and she nodded. "I somehow doubt that very much," Kurt said. "I know that baby Marley is a very good girl who has to fight a lot harder than she ever thought she would. I know that baby Marley is very scared, and she's in pain, but she works very hard for her Mommy and Mama Rae, and Papa whenever she is asked. I think baby Marley and big girl Marley are also sometimes scared of the hard work ahead, so I think that Marley should listen to Mommy when she says that a pacifier would be a reward and not a punishment," Kurt said and Santana gave him a grateful look.

Rachel stood up and knelt down in front of Marley. "Listen to me baby girl," she said kindly. "Mommy is right, she's always said that any decision is yours and we will support you no matter what. That hasn't changed. I do however think this is something that will help you and I will never, ever tease you, or use it to punish you. Rewards are special and it's okay to like a pacifier. It's okay to want to seek comfort in something as long as you're not hurting anyone, and I promise you my sweet girl, if you suck on a pacifier, the only thing that will happen is you might actually get more comfort, and you my darling, deserve lots of comfort," Rachel said. She gave Marley a sweet kiss and then stood up.

"Mama?" Marley asked.

"I have to run to the bathroom baby, I'll be right back," she assured her.

Marley nodded and looked carefully at Santana. "Mommy?" she asked.

"What's up my love?" she asked.

"Wah," she said slowly blushing heavily, feeling hot all of a sudden.

"Try again baby, I don't quite understand," she said.

Marley looked to Kurt and pointed to Santana's phone. "Kay?" she asked him cautiously, the blush still staying heavily on her face, creeping all the way up to her ears.

"Marley, if you want the pacifier, and Mommy is offering it as a reward, then I think you should take it. You should not be afraid of it. Terri was a very mean lady who made it scary, but I don't think Mommy Santana is mean. Mommy knows that a pacifier is a good thing and will help you," he said.

"Mommy," Marley said with a small smile.

"Yes, Mommy is a good lady, and she is the one that put the smile on your face just now," Kurt told her and then kissed her temple.

"Mommy?" Marley asked.

"Yes baby?" Marley pointed to the picture of the pacifier, nodded yes, and the blush was still heavily on her face. Even her ears were red now.

"Is that a yes? Do you want Mommy to order the pacifier for you?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Alright, you get to pick three of them. One for use, a spare for when we clean the first one and a second spare to keep, just in case we misplace one somewhere," she said. "Marley my love, I'm going to promise you something right now. I'm going to promise to teach you, that you wanting to be a baby, at any time, for any reason, is not a bad thing."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone, I hope the wait was worth it. This is my longest chapter to date. The two warnings in this chapter are one Physical Therapy or PT session and Marley dealing with her pacifier(s). I know we did that last chapter, but because Marley has such a sordid past, things are done slowly. So it will take more than one chapter to cover a topic at times.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and continue reading. Again, many many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for all of their help and inspirations. Also thank you in advance for any reviews. Enjoy your week.**

* * *

><p>Three days later, when Kurt came back from the gym, he had a small box in his hands. "Santana, you got mail," he called out to her and she came out of the room, looking angry.<p>

"No yelling," she scolded and then he heard Marley's cries, start to get louder in the other room.

"What happened?" he asked putting the box on the table and moving toward the bathroom.

Santana ignored him and went back to the bedroom. Marley was on all fours with a box underneath her belly and Joe was trying to get her to lift her right arm and left leg and she was having none of it. "Marley baby, you're not going to fall, we're right here," Santana tried. She was loosing her patience today. Any other client would have been spanked for such a tantrum. Hell, Santana herself would have been spanked, but she couldn't do that with Marley.

Marley shook her head no and continued to cry. Something was definitely wrong, but communication was limited and Joe sighed. "Santana you have to know I'm not causing this, she's just freaking out and she won't or can't tell us why right now," Joe said.

"It's not you, it's not even her, I know that, I'm just frustrated. I don't know how to help her any more," Santana sighed.

"Alright, cuddle with her, I'm going to think about giving her a different exercise for today. We still have some time, and she's done very well up until now," he said. He stood up and left the room and Santana saw Marley go absolutely rigid.

"Breathe with me sweetheart, you're going to have a muscle cramp if you don't," Santana coached and she got in front of Marley and started breathing for her. "Nothing is going to happen Marley, just calm down. As soon as you're calm, we will sit and cuddle."

Marley just cried. This was too much for her and she was never going to get better, ever again. Santana's heart broke and she carefully pulled Marley into her arms, rocking her gently on the floor, keeping her close and Marley just continued to cry. They were heavy, defeated, heart breaking sobs, that Santana thought would never stop. She carefully shifted her so they were chest to chest and Marley's head instantly went to Santana's shoulder and she tried to rest, but her breath caught in her lungs and she started to cough and sputter a bit.

"Shhh, calm down baby girl, you're okay. Mommy has you and Papa came home. You're very safe my love, I promise," she said and Marley just continued to cry and now hiccup.

Joe came back in and smiled. "I'll give you the choice Santana. I can back off on intensity, so that all her exercises for the rest of the hour are assisted, or I can give her the homework, to do for the next twenty four hours and we can try again tomorrow," Joe said. "Call me when you're ready," he said leaving them alone again.

"Marley, look at Mommy baby," she said and Marley shrieked, gripped tighter to Santana and pushed her head so it was facing inward. Santana's hair was down over her shoulders, and Marley was using it as a shield from the rest of the world. "Come on baby, it's just Mommy, we have to make a decision," she said kindly. "Do you remember all those days ago? Mommy will never ever make a decision for you about you. It's your life, and your body, so you need to be involved in the decision," she said. Marley shook her head no and continued to cry, gripping so tight to Santana, that she started shaking. "Listen to me very carefully baby. If Mommy makes this decision, you're going to have to follow through with it. No matter what I choose. Are you sure you don't want to be involved?" she asked.

"Mommy," Marley cried, shaking her head no again.

"Alright, well if Mommy has to make the decision, you at least get to hear your options," she said. "I know you say you don't care right now, but I don't think that's true at all and I will not go back on my word to you," Santana said and Marley wiggled a little bit, her body slumping down so that her head was tucked just under Santana's chin. Marley did this a lot and while Santana loved to cuddle this way, she was very concerned that Marley was doing more damage than good for her body. "Listen to me baby girl, there are two options. Mr. Joe is going to give you homework to do and I'm going to help you with it. That is option one. Or we can choose option two and Mommy and Mr. Joe, will help you right now and then you can rest the rest of the day. No homework and tomorrow we start fresh," she told her. "Do you want option one, or option two?" Santana asked holding up one finger and then adding a second. Marley did good when she was given fingers to point to and Santana made sure to always give her some sort of way to communicate.

Marley again shook her head no. "Mommy," she said sadly.

"Alright baby, well then Mommy is going to make the decision for you, and we're going to tell Mr. Joe that you and he and Mommy are all going to work together right now. I want you to calm down first though," she told her kindly.

* * *

><p>It took ten whole minutes and before Santana called Joe back in to help with therapy, she grabbed a few tissues and helped Marley clean her face. "I'm right here baby, loosen your grip a little bit for me," she said gently. "Now that you're calm, Mr. Joe is going to come back and we're going to finish therapy together," she told her and Marley looked panicked. "Shhh, it's alright my love, I'm not leaving you, and Papa came home, so pretty soon, Mama Rae will be home and then we'll all sit and have a nice lunch together," she told her. "Now, very softly, before I call Joe back in, do you need to be changed?" she asked her.<p>

Marley blushed heavily but nodded. "Alright, let's get you changed and then we'll call Joe back in. Lay down for me sweetheart," she told her. Marley carefully put herself down to her belly and then rolled over, looking around the room wildly as Santana stood up to get the supplies. "We need a few things right baby?" she asked softly. "We need a new diaper, wipes to make you clean, cream for your rash, and Teddy Bear," she said gathering her things. She gave Teddy Bear to Marley who pulled it tight to her chest and kept her eyes glued shut. She started to shake and cry when Santana started to roll her sweatpants down, until Santana started to sing.

Marley didn't like to look. She didn't like to remember that she was in this terrible situation and no longer had control over two, sometimes three, very important bodily functions. The problem was, when they changed her and kept quiet, her mind went back to being with Terri. Bruises happened when Terri changed her. Things were shoved into her or ripped out of her. Words of worthlessness and hatred, were spoken when Terri was changing her. Santana's job, or sometimes Rachel's job, was to keep Marley focused on the present.

"You were in college working part time, waiting tables, left a small down, never looked back," Santana sang and she continued to sing while changing Marley. When she finished she lifted Marley up into her arms and held her, rocking her and Teddy Bear. "I love you baby girl," she told her. "Mr. Joe, you can come back now, we're ready to continue," she called to him.

The rest of the session consisted of Marley having her feet moved in a bicycle type motion. The point was to loosen up her hips and lower back. She cried at first and then would only whimper once or twice as the circles got larger. "Alright Marley, that was good, the last thing we have to do is bridges. You have to lift a little bit. One set of twenty five holding each one for three seconds. Even if you lift a thirty-secondth of an inch, I will be happy with you okay. The only way you will not progress is if you stay flat on your back and don't move, does that make sense?" he asked her.

She simply blinked and Santana smiled. "I'm right here my sweet girl. You only have ten minutes left, and Mr. Joe, only wants one set, so you just take my hand, keep your core tight and lift those hips," she told her gently and leaned in close. "You know how you do when Mommy changes you? It's the same thing, just held a little bit longer," she whispered.

Marley nodded slowly and brushed away her tears. "Marley honey, before you start, I want to remind you of something," Joe said kindly. "When you first met me, you couldn't do that, you would just lay there and cry and now you do so much, so I want you to be proud of yourself too alright?" he asked her and she nodded slowly. Marley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them back up and looking at Joe. "Ready?" he asked her with an encouraging smile and she gave a slow nod.

Two minutes into exercising, Marley was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. On the fifth bridge, she was crying in pain. Five minutes into it Marley cried out as a muscle spasm took over her right calf. "Come down Marley," Joe said and lightly pressed his hand on her stomach and she freaked out.

"MOMMY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and Joe hung his head and sighed, while Santana grabbed the offending muscle to help control the cramping and lessen the pain.

"Santana, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," he told her.

"It's alright, she has to get used to it. Do you have to leave, or can she finish the set?" she asked.

"I'd like the cramp to pass and then see where we're at. She's done ten of them by now, that's huge for her, I'm very proud of her," he said watching Santana pet Marley's face and then hum softly to her.

"Alright, give me a few moments then," she smiled and he nodded, looking up smiling at Kurt who was standing in the doorway, toweling his hair dry, while Marley laid on the floor and screamed.

"How's progress?" he asked kindly and Santana turned and smiled.

"I want you to sing for her," Santana told him.

"You should be so glad I love her," Kurt said and he walked over behind Marley, sat down and tapped her gently on her scalp. "Marley, look up at Papa baby. You're okay, you are. You're very safe in your bedroom. Mommy's here and Papa's here, and Mr. Joe is here and all we want to do is help our sweet Marley," he said.

"You're not singing," Santana said.

"If I'm singing, I'm going to do it, my way, so stop," he scolded Santana and she shut up, although she did want to continue to banter. She didn't like being told off, that was one of the reasons she liked being a Mistress. The power and control and feeling of being on top, always having the last word, and making others submit to her, made her feel incredible.

Kurt looked down at Marley and smiled at her. "Alright my beautiful girl, keep breathing, and Papa will sing for you okay?" he soothed her and she closed her eyes and tried to breath. "No sweetheart, look at Papa, or look at Mommy, I don't want you going off into your head. Only happy things right now," he told her gently. "Should we sing your happy song?" he asked her. She nodded her head slowly for him and he smiled at her. "Good girl Marley," he smiled. "Should we ask Mommy for back up?" he asked her and she gave him a genuine smile. Kurt looked at Santana and she nodded, humming softly for him. "And I'll remember, the love that you gave me, Now that I'm standing, on my own, I'll remember, the way that you changed me, I'll remember," he sang softly to her and she calmed down.

Kurt finished the song and Marley wiggled a bit. "Mommy," she said.

"What's up baby?" Santana asked.

"Ba-aff," Marley pushed out.

"Yes baby, as soon as Mr. Joe leaves, I will get you into a bath, I promise," she smiled at her.

"Marley, I'm going to put my hands on your stomach, I'm sorry I scared you before," Joe said and he held up his hands for her to see. "I want to help stabilize you, so that's why I want to put my hands on your stomach. If you really don't want me to, I won't, but I know that if I do, I'll feel your muscles and I'll be able to curb your exercises to help you gain strength," he explained.

"Mommy," she said.

"Mommy can help, and Papa is right behind you. You are in your bedroom, our bedroom, our house, and you're completely safe sweetheart," Santana told her.

She blinked quickly and Santana looked at Joe, nodding her confirmation that he could now put his hands on her. He helped her do her last ten lifts and then Joe gave Marley a high five and left the little family alone.

"Alright baby girl, how about that bath?" Santana said and with Kurt's help they got her into the bathroom and then Kurt went to wait for them on the couch. He pulled out two apples, cut them up, and spread some peanut butter on them, knowing it would help Marley. He also made a few smoothies, knowing that she would actually drink them. Marley had been giving them a little bit more of a hard time when it came to eating. They'd been feeding her for the past five days and it was starting to catch up with her. She noticed that her stomach wasn't as sunken in. She couldn't see her collar bones in the mirror anymore when she was held up in front of it. She was gaining weight and if she continued to do so, at this rate, Santana was going to get rid of her, she knew it.

Kurt just set the apples and peanut butter down on the little kitchen table just as Santana and Marley came out of the bathroom. "There she is," Kurt smiled and walked over to help them. Santana did a wonderful job helping Marley to move, but both Kurt and Rachel felt bad that she was doing it on her own, so they always made a point to help her. Marley was guided to the table and sat down. Kurt slipped in on her left side immediately to prevent her from falling over.

"Eat your apples please baby. Papa is right next to you and I will be right back. I need to go answer a few emails," Santana said kindly.

"Mommy," she pleaded.

"As soon as I finish we can cuddle baby, I promise," she said and Marley looked crushed.

Kurt wrapped a protective arm around Marley and spoke gently. "Mommy is very quick when it comes to emails my love, do you know why?" he asked and Marley shook her head no. "Because being away from you makes Mommy very very sad, so she does her absolute best, to be as fast as she can so that she can come back to you," Kurt smiled and Marley gave a small smile. She'd been distracted long enough to let Santana slip out of the room and Kurt was now keeping Marley busy.

"Will you eat some more baby?" he asked her kindly. Marley pouted, but opened her mouth. "Papa has to feed you?" he asked and she just looked at him and waited. This was becoming a habit for her. She was getting much more comfortable with her new family and was letting them do more and more for her, when she was in a younger state of mind. They hadn't picked up on it though. Marley was just their sweet, semi scared, beautiful baby girl, and they would treat her any way she wanted, even if they didn't understand it. "Alright princess, here we go. Open a little wider, so I don't make a mess," he told her kindly and she did as asked. He placed the apple slice on her tongue and waited for her to bite down, but she didn't do so. "Sweetheart, I can't eat it for you too. Bite down, it's okay," he told her and she carefully bit down, enjoying the taste and it took her a good two minutes to chew and swallow, but Kurt never pressured her, or told her to eat faster, he just let her be. After she swallowed, she looked at Kurt.

"Papa?" she asked.

"Yes baby?" he asked her and she reached toward the box curiously.

"I don't know what's in the box sweetheart? It came to Mommy's name. As soon as she's done, we'll ask her to open it and find out," he said.

"Mama Rae?" she asked.

"Mama Rae is working late tonight. She was supposed to be home for lunch, but she got called to work later. She'll be home much after we all go to sleep," he said honestly and Marley looked hurt.

"Bah?" she asked.

"You had a bath," he told her gently and she shook her head.

"Baby," she said softly.

"Yes, you're our baby, what about you?" he asked gently.

She shook her head no and tried to push out good, but all she was able to get out was "Guh."

Kurt thought for a moment and then smiled. "Baby Marley is very good. Big girl Marley is very good too," he assured her.

"Mama Rae?" she asked.

"Everyone who lives in this house and works with Mommy thinks that Marley is a good girl, including Mama Rae," he told her. "More apple?" he asked and she shook her head no. "Not any? Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded yes, not wanting to eat any more. She was too tired from her therapy session, and demonstrated so by letting out a long yawn and leaning her head onto Kurt's shoulder. "Santana, anytime you want to finish would be great," he called out to her, choosing his words very carefully.

Marley gave a soft sigh and fell a little more into him. "Alright big girl, come here," he smiled and pulled her into his lap and she immediately cuddled against him. He wasn't Santana, but he and Rachel were close seconds now.

Santana rolled her eyes at the computer screen as she finished up her emails. She then gave it a break and went into the kitchen. "Taking something of mine Lady Hummel?" she asked softly, her eyes sparkling playfully.

"Waiting for you to get back, you are missed," he said.

"Clearly," she said gesturing her hand up and down at him.

"Marley baby, look, Mommy's done," he said softly, keeping his eyes trained on Santana, but lowering his head just enough to talk into Marley's ear. It always amazed him how she could make herself so small against any of them.

Marley turned her head and reached her arm out. "Mommy," she smiled softly.

"Hey there big girl," Santana smiled as she sat down and pulled Marley into her lap. "My lovely," Santana smiled kissing her temple. Most of the time, she Rachel, and Kurt, made sure to use loving words, when referring to her. Rachel was trying to come up with a cutesy name for Marley, but so far none of them fit. "Did you eat apples?" she asked her kindly and Marley nodded. "I see, will you eat one more for me?" Marley nodded tiredly and shifted herself so that Santana could feed her.

Santana was able to feed Marley one more apple slice with peanut butter very slowly as she kept her cuddled close, seated sideways on her lap. The infamous box was just in front of her, but she hadn't quite noticed it yet and she looked at Kurt when she noticed him watching them intently. "So what's in the box?" Kurt asked his gaze moving from the girls, to the box, and then back to the girls again.

"What box?"

"The one I told you about, when I walked in earlier," he said pointing to it, as it sat in front of her on the table.

She reached around Marley and pulled the box closer. She turned it over three times and then set it down. "They sent it wrapped in packaging tape. If you want to know what it is, you're going to have to open it for me," she said.

"You're still just a little bit irritating," he told her, standing up and getting the scissors to open the box. Had Marley not been sitting there, he would have called Santana a pain in the ass, but he didn't like saying things like that, because of the situation Marley had come from. He didn't open it fully, he just opened it enough to make sure that Santana could get inside it.

He gave it back to her and she made a face at him, feeling Marley wiggle a bit in her lap, trying to get comfortable. Santana rubbed her back and with her free hand opened the box and smiled. "Marley, look sweetheart, look what came in the mail today," she said with a smile, pulling the box closer to them and Marley looked inside and immediately burst into tears and started squirming, trying to get away from Santana, struggling so hard that she practically fell on the floor, curling herself into a ball, in the corner of the kitchen.

"Did you order live poisonous snakes?" Kurt asked raising an eyebrow.

Santana growled at him and handed him the box. "Do not open it, she has to be the first one to do that," Santana said strongly and then she went into the other room, got Teddy Bear, and went back to the kitchen. "Marley, I got Teddy Bear sweetheart," she told her and moved in close, handing him over. "Shhh, breathe. Breathe carefully, calm your breathing, so you don't get sick," she said kindly.

Marley panted and gasped for breath, shaking her head no, and tears pouring down her face. Finally she calmed and looked at Santana. "Marley, Marley look at me. Look at Santana," she said.

"Mommy!" Marley wailed.

"Shhh, no sweetheart, not Mommy, not now. Not Mommy because we need to talk. Not Mommy because you are so scared. Not Mommy because not even Baby Marley will trust me right now. Not Mommy until it's time. It's not time."

"Mommy," she pleaded.

"No. Not until Marley is calm. Not until Marley is ready to talk and knows she can trust me," Santana said and Kurt felt his heart breaking. "Kurt, go away please," Santana said calmly sensing him behind her, simply watching. With a heavy heart, he started to walk away.

"Papa!" Marley screamed for him, not wanting to be alone.

"No Marley, not Papa, not now. Kurt go," Santana said strongly.

"Mommy," she begged again.

"Marley listen to me. Look at me. When you're ready, you blink. That was our very first form of communication. That's what we go back to."

"Mommy," she said softly, her breath under control but tears were still falling at a fast rate. "Mommy," she pleaded again.

"Marley, you're not ready. You're not ready for Mommy, because you are too scared," Santana said and Marley shook her head no while tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Yes you are sweetheart, and I'm not mad at you for that. I know you are though, because if you thought Santana was safe, if Mommy Santana was safe, then you wouldn't be huddled on the floor and crying, trying to get away from me. Now I will help you, just like I always have before, but you Marley, are not ready for Mommy right now. Babies trust their Mommies. They get scared, but they know that Mommy is safe. Right now Marley, you don't believe that, and that's okay," Santana assured her.

Kurt wanted to rush in and hold Marley tight, or have Santana move in and hold her tight, because he could see her shaking. Marley looked at Santana and after a moment began to blink quickly. "Good girl Marley, very good," Santana told her. "Now, I'm going to take Teddy Bear and move him close to you and back away. Understand?" she asked and Marley blinked quickly. Santana put the bear close to Marley and then stood up and backed away. She was only three feet away from Marley, but it felt like hundreds of yards. Marley was so scared that she just kept shrinking into herself and the corner of the wall.

"Marley, do you remember when we first met, and I told you I was a Mistress and that I liked control?" she asked her and Marley blinked. Santana smiled. "Good girl, here's what you don't know though. Control is always two parts. People give me control and I give them respect. They give me a list. They give me permission to be the one in charge. That is giving up control. I give them tasks to complete. I stick to their list. I make sure I don't take anything that is not mine. If my person says to me, you are not allowed to touch my foot, then I never touch their foot. Not ever. Me touching their foot breaks that trust. Me breaking their trust makes me a bully," she explained.

Marley shook her head no and spoke quietly. "Mommy," she begged.

"I know that you're scared honey, and I know that your mouth is still too sore for you to say my name, but you calling me Mommy, means you trust me, and right now you are too scared to trust anyone, including me," Santana said. Marley's eyes flooded with tears once again. "I'm not mad about that Marley. I'm not mad at all. You have to be safe. You have to know that I will not violate your trust and if I push you too far, then you have to tell me somehow. We will work on that communication, but no Mommy, until you are calm enough to know that I'm not going to hurt you." Marley looked at Santana with confusion. She thought she did know that, but apparently, she didn't. She took a shuddering breath and tried very hard to calm herself.

Marley sat on the floor thinking about first how cold she was. Then she thought about all the days she'd spent with Santana. Santana had shown her that she could be trusted from the very first hour that they met. The problem was, Marley was scared of herself. She had desires, she didn't understand; wants that made her think she was a freak. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment before opening them and looking at Santana. She couldn't say her name. The sores inside her mouth were too dry and painful to say any of the letters properly. In order to fix this, she just stared. She very carefully, laid down on her tummy and looked at Santana.

Santana felt her heart break with relief and laid down on the floor as well. The two girls were a mirror image of each other and Santana smiled at her. "Do you know what scared you?" she asked her honestly and Marley blinked. "Well that's a good start and we'll figure out a way for you to tell me, but not at the moment. Right now I see a girl, my friend, in pain, and freezing, so we have to get you warm somehow. I can get you a blanket, but that requires me getting up. Can you stay still while I get up and get you a blanket?" she asked her. Marley blinked and in the other room Kurt groaned. He hated how painfully slow this was all going.

Santana took the blanket off the back of the couch and walked over to Marley. "Tap the floor Marley, I can't see your eyes. Once for yes, twice for no. Can I cover you with the blanket?" Santana asked and Marley slapped her hand lightly on the floor once. Santana gently draped the blanket over her and then took her mirrored position.

"We have to build it up again Marley. We have to build up your trust of me, because something scared you so much, that you felt safer running away from me, rather than staying with me to have it explained to you," Santana said. "Does that make sense to you?" One tap to the floor. Santana smiled. "Easy questions Marley. Are you calm now?" One tap. "Is your heart ready to jump out of your chest?" Two taps. "Do you know where this house is?" One tap. "Do you know who lives in this house?" One tap. "Do you know my name?" One tap. "Do you know what you want to call me?" One tap. "Do you know why you want to call me that?" Two taps followed by a very heavy frown. "Can I move closer to you?" One tap. Santana inched closer ever so slightly and Marley's hand came out from under the blanket. She put her hand over Santana's, squeezed lightly, and cried softly. "Do you know in this moment that I won't hurt you?" One tap. "Do you know what scared you before?" One tap. "Do you know why it scared you?" One tap and then she burst into tears.

"Mommy," she pleaded and she painfully pushed her body into Santana as best she could. "Mommy," she wailed, begging Santana to hold her. She felt terrible that she'd mistrusted someone who she had learned was nothing but nice to her. Santana went out of her way to make Marley feel safe and loved and accepted and the moment she followed through on her promise to show Marley that being a baby wasn't a bad thing, Marley doubted everything that she'd been taught and in her mind hurt Santana's feelings. "Mommy," she begged again and pushed herself even further into Santana, trembling with the desire to be held by the one lady she trusted the most and the fear that she was going to be rejected.

"Okay, can you be Mommy again, because she's breaking my heart," Kurt said softly knowing Marley couldn't hear him because she was so worked up.

"She doesn't trust me Kurt. I showed her a box. I let her open it, and she ran away."

"She fell off of your lap to get away from the "bad thing" in the box," he said.

"It's still the same thing. She doesn't fully understand that I'm safe, we're safe. If I can't teach her that, how am I going to be able to teach her anything else?"

"Okay," he sighed holding up his hands. "You're the Mistress, you went through training, I didn't, I'll give you that, but I see a small, tired, desperate little girl, begging for the safety and comfort that only a mother can give her, and right now, she believes that you are the mother figure she needs. She only does this with you. She asks where Rachel is and she'll sit with me, if you're near by, but you are the one she wants and does trust," he said and then he walked away.

"This is the hardest job I've ever had Marley, and I just don't want to fail you," she said out loud, while stroking Marley's hair. She very carefully shifted them around, until they were sitting up and Marley was in Santana's lap. "You and I are going to go sit on the couch and cuddle and rest, and you will let me know when you're ready to proceed. We have to talk and figure out what scared you so much, so it doesn't happen again. I think I know, but I need you to tell me, somehow, when you're ready," she said.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Santana was seated on the couch and Marley was stretched out across her body, slouched down just enough to have her head on Santana's chest and Santana was playing with her hair. Marley was exhausted, she wanted to sleep, but Santana's words had stuck in her head. "Not Mommy. Not now," and she couldn't be one hundred percent sure that Santana would be there when she woke up. Santana picked up the remote to change the channel and as she brought the remote back to her body, Marley took her hand. "Mommy," she said, her voice soft and strong.<p>

"We talked about this Marley," she said gently.

"Mommy," Marley insisted holding Santana's hand tighter in her grip.

"You're calm now Marley, and I'm very glad for that, but the thing that scared you, that box, that's over in the corner and it isn't going anywhere. We have to deal with it. If you are calling me Mommy, I'm going to assume that you are ready to deal with it, with me, even though I know you might still be scared," Santana said.

"Papa," Marley said softly tightening her grip on Santana's hand.

"This is like the floor honey," Santana said opening her hand to a flat palm. "Do you want Papa with us to open the box?" she asked. Marley tapped her hand once.

"Mommy," she said seriously and went back to holding Santana's hand.

"Okay, well then we're going to work out a system sweetheart. So here's the deal. If you get scared, you have to squeeze my hand and I will do my absolute best to slow things down and explain it to you, but no more running away. If you run away then we stop and you will not call me Mommy, or Kurt Papa, or Rachel Mama Rae, until you can communicate better, using all your words. Do you remember what I told you before? If you want to be Baby Marley, you can be. Being baby Marley is not a bad thing and big girl Marley can call us those names too, but you can't run away all the time. Running away means you don't trust us, and I don't want to do anything with you or for you, that you are not trusting of," she explained. "Should I call Kurt now?" she asked and Marley shook her head no.

"Mommy," she said softly.

"You want me to call Papa?" she asked her and Marley nodded an emphatic yes. "Alright, I will call Papa, but for right now, while we open this box, I need to be sure that I am talking to big girl Marley. I want everything explained to her in every aspect, do you understand?" Marley nodded.

"Mommy...Ay-fff," she said softly.

"We need your blocks," Santana said kindly and gave Marley a kiss to the top of her head. "Can you say it faster?" she asked.

"Ayff," she said after a moment.

"Mommy's safe?" Santana asked her and Marley nodded. "Do you truly believe that Marley? Do you truly believe that Mommy Santana will keep you safe?" she asked her kindly and Marley blinked, nodded yes, and tapped Santana's palm. Santana gave a small laugh and gave Marley a loving squeeze. "Okay sweetheart, let's call Papa, and get on the floor, by your blocks. If you have to spell I want you to be able to do it," she said kindly.

Santana slipped onto the floor and kept Marley close, her arms low and tight across her hips. "It's just me and Papa sweetheart. In a safe place, it will always be a safe place here and whatever you don't understand you ask. Make sense?" she asked and Marley nodded yes. "Hey Kurt!" Santana called.

Kurt joined them and smiled. "Hey. What's going on?" he asked kindly.

"Come join us, we're going to try opening the box again," Santana told him.

"Can I know my name before we start?" he asked with a smirk taking a seat in front of Marley and pulling her wooden lettered blocks closer to them.

"Papa," Marley said with finality cuddling into Santana and smiling at Kurt.

"Oh good, I'm glad to hear that. I like being your Papa, Marley," he told her smiling. "Kisses for my good girl?" he asked her and she nodded, so he leaned in and gave her a kiss to her forehead.

"Alright, so where is this box?" Santana asked and she looked at Kurt, who reached for the box and Marley tensed, but closed her eyes, let out a long breath and looked at the box. "So, this is the big scary box that came today, but what if, it was just a box?" Santana asked her taking it from Kurt and Marley tracked Santana's actions very carefully. "What if, it was just an empty box that had nothing in it, would you still be afraid of it?" Santana asked her putting it much closer to Marley's body. Marley still tensed, but pushed back into Santana in order to feel safe. "Where are you Marley?" Santana asked her kindly, stopping her entire box conversation.

Marley reached for the blocks after a moment. H...O...M...E

"Very good my sweet girl, so tell me, this is a tiny little box, so nothing big and scary could be in there right? I mean, that's silly it wouldn't fit," Santana pointed out. Marley thought for a moment and nodded her agreement. "Now, do you remember three days ago when you and Papa and Mama Rae and I sat down and we talked about something as a family, do you remember that?" Marley nodded yes. "Do you remember what it was we talked about?" Santana asked.

Marley nodded yes and reached for the blocks, carefully finding the letters she needed. S...U...C...K...E...R "Is that what you want to call it?" Kurt asked her kindly. Marley shook her head no. "Can you spell what you really want to call it?" he asked her.

She thought for a few moments and cuddled into Santana. "Mommy," she said softly looking down at the hands locked around her. "Mommy, Ayff," she said.

"Yes baby, Mommy Santana is safe. Things that happen in this house and with Mommy Santana are always safe. They may be scary, I won't lie about that, but always safe," Santana said.

"A new word," Kurt praised. "More kisses for progress," he told Marley and she raised her eyes to look up and him and smiled. He gave her another loving kiss and then let Santana take over again.

"So tell me sweetheart, what did we talk about the other day. We ordered three of them, what do we call them?" she asked. Marley took a deep breath and her eyes flooded with tears. She was allowed to say what she wanted. She was allowed to communicate. She was allowed to live out her fantasies in a safe place, but she was still scared, because she'd thought she was safe the last time she tried this. With trembling hands Marley reached for the blocks, spelling out the word she wanted. She wanted pacifier, but Terri had used that word and made pacifiers a bad thing. The pacifier had hurt her. The pacifier was forced upon her so much that she now had to use wooden blocks with brightly painted letters carved on them in order to communicate.

She rotated the letters carefully and spelled out pacifier. "That's a big word, but I know that some of those letters you can say. Will you try for me sweetheart? Can you break it down and say pacifier?" Santana asked. Marley thought for a moment and sounded it out in her head, working her jaw gently. She pointed to the C block and shook her head no. "I know, S sounds are still hard, that's okay, can you try anyway? I don't care if it sounds horribly mangled, just a little tiny try," Santana encouraged.

Marley thought for a few moments and cuddled into Santana. Kurt thought that if Marley truly tried she would meld herself into Santana's body completely. It was so nice to see that Marley trusted her so much. "Pa-fy-ah" she finally pushed out.

"Marley that is amazing! I am so proud of you," Kurt praised her and took her hand, squeezing it gently before leaning in and giving her kisses.

"Very good baby, I am very proud of you," Santana praised. "So tell me my love," Santana said placing the box aside and picking up two wooden blocks, not caring what letters they were and put them in front of her. "We're going to play a small game sweetheart, this is like tapping the floor, only now we do options. I will tell you which block is which option, I promise," Santana said kissing her temple gently and Marley nodded.

"Are pacifiers big?" she asked picking up the left block, "or small," she continued picking up the right block. Marley picked up the right block. "That's right," she praised. "And why would we use a pacifier in this house? Is it for comfort? Or for torture?" she asked and Marley lifted the left block. "That's right, and where does Marley put her pacifier, in her mouth, or somewhere else." Left block. Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more about the somewhere else part. "Very good and who gets to decide when Marley uses her pacifier?" Santana asked. "Mommy or Marley?" she asked and Marley froze, she honestly didn't know the answer.

Kurt saw panic in her eyes and looked at Santana, they were on the edge of a melt down, he could see it. "How about this Marley," he said showing her the two blocks. "Who _used_ to be in charge? Marley or someone else?" he asked. She lifted the right block with trembling hands. "And that was not right at all. The only person who should be in charge of Marley using her pacifier is Marley," he told her.

"Papa makes a very good point," Santana said. "Tell me lovely, who do you think gets the right in the house? Who says Marley can use her pacifier in this house. Marley or someone else?" she asked and Marley thought for a moment and lifted both blocks. "You think both? Okay, sometimes, or all the time?" she asked and Marley thought for a moment. Left block. "Okay, so sometimes, someone else has to tell Marley to use her pacifier?" Santana asked and Marley shook her head no. Santana remained exceedingly patient. "Okay, so who gets to decide when Marley can use her pacifier, in this house, Marley, or someone else?" Santana asked. Marley lifted the left block, but with a great deal of hesitation and her eyes held lots of uncertainty.

Santana smiled and continued. "And why would Marley need her pacifier?" she asked. "Does Marley need it for comfort, or just for play?" she asked and Marley slowly lifted the left block. "Comfort?" Santana asked and Marley nodded yes. "Well to me it sounds like a pacifier is a very small thing that would fit in a tiny box like this and would make Marley feel comfortable, if she was scared and concerned about something," Santana said. "Did Mommy understand?" she asked and Marley nodded. "So then why don't you reach into this box right here and pull out this tiny little thing that is going to give you comfort, if you need it," Santana said.

Marley's hand trembled but she reached into the box. "Mommy," she squeaked.

"I'm right here sweet girl," Santana said. Marley hesitated and Santana pet her hair. "Do you remember the talk we had before baby? Do you remember how Mommy Santana explained that control is a two way street? Do you remember that if Mommy Santana took total control and didn't give you any options that would make her something else?" Marley nodded and fumbled with her blocks for a moment. B...U...L...L...Y, Marly spelled. "That exactly right and Mommy would never bully anyone. It's not right and I get no pleasure out of that, so you don't ever have to worry about that. The most control I will ever take is if I see you freaking out and I will suggest that you take your pacifier to help calm down," Santana said and she very carefully pet Marley's hair. "But if you refuse to use it, that's up to you. Only Marley controls if she does or doesn't use her pacifier," Santana said and Kurt watched Marley process all the words that were beings spoken to her.

"Here's the deal though baby girl. Right now I want you to reach into the box and pull out all three pacifiers. I want you to look at them, study them carefully and know that they are safe, just as you are in the house."

Instead Marley reached into the pile of blocks and began to look for the blocks she needed. S...C...A...R...E...D she spelled and Santana nodded. "Do you want to take a break and have a drink?" Santana offered and Marley thought for a moment before nodding yes.

"I will get juice for everyone," Kurt said. He went into the kitchen and Marley turned herself slightly, pushing her entire side into Santana, sinking down just enough that she could rest her head on Santana's shoulder. Santana was desperate to push Marley just a little bit, she was so close, but then all the work, they'd just accomplished would be for nothing, so she cuddled her close and kissed the top of her head.

"Look at me please baby," she said and Marley did. "I am so proud of you. I know you're scared, and I know you want to stop, but you are doing so well. You are answering all of my questions, and you're communicating, you're doing so very well," Santana praised and Marley smiled and snuggled in closer.

"You two are seriously sickeningly sweet," Kurt said returning with three cups of juice. "Lemonade for me, for Santana, and for Marley fruit punch," he said and Santana shot him a look. He rolled his eyes at her and nodded yes. They were still trying to get Marley's body balanced, so anytime she had fruit punch, it was that same pedialyte drink, she'd been having in the hospital. They'd put it in the fridge before she even moved in and any time they bought more, the bottle was kept out of Marley's view. Santana had been adamant about it. The "baby drink" was to be kept out of view at all times. Marley already doubted herself and didn't understand her desires, so there was no way they were going to tell her, or show her, that her "juice" was in fact something meant for very small children to keep their bodies balanced. It worked well for adults, which was why they used it, but there were definitely other ways to get electrolytes into her. The main problem was with all the sores in her mouth, she couldn't eat a lot of things without it causing her pain. The juice was the easiest route.

Kurt handed Marley her cup and with two hands, she took hold and very carefully brought it to her lips before making a little noise of frustration. "I can help Marley," Kurt offered, but he didn't move and Santana forced herself to stay still. Marley wanted to do this on her own, so they were only going to help if she made the decision. Marley shook her head no and took a deep breath. Exhaling, she tipped the cup slowly and got most of it in her mouth, spilling some of it down her shirt. She shrieked in surprise and Santana quickly grabbed the cup.

"You're okay, you're okay. You just tipped a bit too much," Santana soothed and very quickly Kurt returned with a napkin so Marley could blot up the small puddle. "You can do it, or I can help," Santana offered and Marley let Santana take care of her. Once she was clean, she gave soft whine. "Okay my sweet girl, here's the deal, I'm going to give you a choice," Santana explained. "Option one is we finish what we started. You pull out the pacifiers in this tiny little box, and just look at them, and then do whatever you want with them. You can put them back in the box, you can use them, whatever you like and then you and Mommy sit on the couch and you sleep. Option two is you and Mommy sit on the couch now and nap, and we leave the pacifiers until the morning, because I can see, on my sweet girl's face, that she is beyond tired, and honestly, so is Mommy," Santana told her.

Marley thought for a moment and then held up two fingers. "Option two it is," Santana smiled. "Should I change you first?" she whispered softly and Marley shook her head. She didn't feel wet and her stomach wasn't rumbling. "After our nap, we will change you then," Santana told her kindly. She got the two of them up on the couch and Marley put her head against Santana's chest and went right to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone. This is a bonus update. I had a lot of good things and happy things happen to me today.**

**A) Frozen was released today**

**B) It's Glee's 100th**

**C) I'm in the process of starting up my own business**

**D) I got a really nice text from a friend to encourage me to have a good day &**

**E) One of my favorite authors updated one of their stories that I love so much.**

**As always, I'm very grateful to see that so many of you are reading and following the story. I am going to be a pain in the tucas and ask for reviews. The last few chapters had 5 or less reviews, and honestly that makes me think you aren't really that interested in it. So please review, tell me what you like, what you hate, what you notice that I may have skipped over and not noticed on my own.**

**Warnings for this story are still trust issues and the use of a pacifier for it's intended purpose of having a calming effect.**

**Proper credit as always to Beaner008, NayaFan, & UnholyUnderBoob.**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>Santana woke up two hours later and looked down at her chest to find Marley still sleeping and Teddy Bear was tucked next to her. There was also a post it on her back and she wrinkled her brow and looked at it. <em>"It's 3:30. Went to gym. Graveyard shift tonight for me. See you both tomorrow - KurtPapa" _"Lovely," Santana said. She was now trapped under Marley and she had to get up. Her bladder is what woke her up to begin with. "Okay baby girl, nice and slow," she said to herself and she began breathing deeply, to get Marley used to the small movements. After a minute, Santana moved Marley off of her body, using her breath, only moving Marley on the exhale, and then rubbed her back for a minute before leaving her alone and running to the bathroom. She didn't shut the door all the way, and prayed that Marley wouldn't wake up with the sound of the flushing toilet, or running water. Luckily, everything worked out well and she was able to return to from the bathroom, un-missed.

Santana paced the kitchen for a while, trying to decide what she should make to eat for dinner for herself and Marley. They'd learned that Marley could and would eat spinach as long as it was wilted and cooked, something that only Kurt could handle. "We need cooking lessons or something," Santana thought, and she pulled out some bread, cheese, and a can of tomato soup. Once it was all thoroughly cooked, she set it all aside and went to check on Marley, who was just waking up. "Hey there sweetheart," she smiled.

"Mommy," Marley said with a soft smile.

"Hi Baby. Did you sleep well?" she asked and Marley nodded, but her eyes immediately filled with tears. "Do you hurt?" she asked. Marley shook her head no. "Can you say the word?" Again Marley shook her head. "Ugh, my love, we need to teach you to sign, or get you better faster, so communication is easier. Okay, are you hungry?" A long blink. "Are you wet?" A fast blink. Santana smiled. "We need a sign for potty," she smiled and helped Marley into the bathroom. "I'm going to bend down sweetheart, hold my shoulders," she said and as she bent down she brought down Marley's sweatpants. She untaped her diaper and had her sit down on the toilet. "Can you sit here while I get your things?" she asked her.

Marley looked concerned that Santana would leave her sitting there and she started to whimper in fear. "Mommy" she whimpered.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay sweetheart, I'm not going to leave you here for long, but all your things to change are in our room. I have to go get them," Santana explained petting her face gently.

"Mama?" Marley asked and worked her jaw a bit, the sores inside her mouth, causing her some pain since they'd dried out during her nap.

"Mama Rae isn't home yet baby. It's just you and me," she said.

"Mommy," Marley said reaching her arms out, needing Santana told hold her, even as she sat on the toilet.

"You're okay sweetheart, I promise," Santana said gently and Marley just cried. "You can't stay naked forever sweetheart, we need to get you cleaned up and into new underwear," she said. Marley shook her head no and held tighter. Santana rubbed her back and spoke kindly to her. "You don't want to stay on the toilet forever do you?" Santana asked after a few moments and Marley shook her head no. "Alright then, so Mommy is going to go to the bedroom, get what we need, and then come straight back okay?" Santana asked and Marley shook her head no again. "I will make it fast baby girl. I will sing, so you hear my voice the whole time," Santana bargained. "What songs does my baby like? How about what Mama Rae sings all the time. "Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter," Santana started and she belted the entire song from the second she stepped out of the bathroom until she got back, which was one whole verse.

"Marley my love, I will always come back for you sweetheart. Always. Until one day you decide you don't want me to, and even then, I might be a pain in the neck and still come back to you," she smiled and Marley gave a very soft and tearful laugh. Santana got her changed and into clean clothes. Once she was set, the two girls went back to the living room and Santana set Marley on the couch. Marley rolled onto her back and took a breath.

"I wish you could tell me when this moving around business was going to get easier," she thought to herself. She carefully rolled onto her belly and let her hand hang off the couch. She looked at her little pile of blocks not paying too much attention to where Santana was in the room. She could see her legs over by the television so she spelled her word while calling out for Santana, trying to make it clear that she needed to tell her something. "Mommy," she called out, realizing that she needed help.

"Yes baby?" Santana asked, not moving away from the television just yet.

"Mommy," Marley said again.

"I'm right here sweetheart, I'm just setting up a movie for us," she told her and then returned to the couch to see Marley on her belly and the word juice spelled out in her blocks. Santana smiled and picked up two blocks showing them to Marley. "Fruit punch?" she asked showing her the J, "or water?" she asked showing her the U block. Marley pushed the J block carefully back to Santana and Santana gave her a kiss to her temple.

Santana returned a few moments later with the cup of juice and looked at her "Do you want to do it, or do you want Mommy to help you?" she offered her.

"Mommy," Marley said.

"Alright, we'll do it together," she said. She set the cup on the coffee table, readjusted Marley to a seated position, got on her left side, and helped her drink her juice. "Very good my sweet girl," she praised once the juice was finished. "Okay, so my lovely girl, we have some options here. I have Mary Poppins all set up in the DVD player for you and no matter what happens you get to watch it, but I wanted to talk to you about the box and the three pacifiers inside it," she said and Marley went tense, but cuddled into Santana's side.

"I know, it's not a topic you want to talk about, but I kind of have to. Miss April gave me instructions and some websites to show you," Santana said. "You see sweetheart, Miss April actually wants you to use a pacifier, whenever you want, as well as when you sleep," she explained and Marley didn't seem tense any more, she just seemed confused. Why would her speech therapist want her to use something that would impede her speech. Wasn't the entire point of speech therapy to get better?

"So, this is the website," Santana said pulling it up on her phone. Most of the information was about how pacifiers helped clam anxiety and Marley would have been the first person to admit that she was anxious a lot of the time now. It was all Terri's brainwashing, she knew that, but it didn't help matters that the memories still lived with her and haunted her, on her road to recovery.

"And now, I will give you the run down. You have to open the box. You don't have to use the pacifiers, but you have to open them, and look at them. Do you understand why I want that?" she asked and Marley shook her head. "See baby, Terri was a very mean woman, and she made non scary things very scary for you. You have to claim them back as just normal things. If you never want to use a pacifier, you never have to. I don't care if Miss April doesn't like that answer, but that's the truth. I'm not going to force you to use it, but you do have to at least look at one, hold one, understand that it's just a thing, with no real power over you," Santana said.

Marley seemed to think about this and then nodded her agreement. "Beyond that, I want you to understand, that if you ever choose to go back to using pacifiers, that they aren't a bad thing. Nothing will be coated on them, unless you do it yourself," and Marley looked at Santana curiously, taking hold of Santana's hand. "Mommy once heard a story about a lady who poked a hole in her pacifier with a syringe. She filled the nipple with some sort of peppermint schnopps serum thing, and then froze it. She took it out of the freezer, hours later and the woman was sucking peppermint schnopps out of her pacifier when she went to an expo," Santana said and Marley looked at her with even more confusion.

"The point is my love, you are in charge of those pacifiers. You and only you, control when a pacifier goes into your mouth and only your mouth. We will never tease you, or make fun of you," Santana promised. "So what do you say my love, are you ready to take them out of the box?" she asked and with hesitation and a heavy sigh, Marley nodded her agreement.

Marley cuddled into Santana, gathered up all her courage and lifted out all three at once. The one on the far left had a blue plate with a red ring, more like a boy's pacifier, but she liked the shade of blue and touched it carefully. "Does it feel like anything specific baby?" Santana asked her. Marley shook her head no and handed it to Santana so she could feel it. "Feels like plastic, but it stays outside your mouth, should you choose to use it, so that one seems safe," she said and Marley nodded her agreement. The second one had a pink guard with a green ring and Santana smiled. "Mama Rae is going to tell you that one is Wicked, or a Watermelon, I can guarantee it," she told her with a smile. The third one had a yellow plate with a purple ring and a tiny little picture of tinkerbell on the front of it. "Is that a fairy?" Santana asked and Marley nodded. "Did you know that I called Papa a fairy in high school? A lot actually," she said and Marley looked shocked. "Relax sweetheart, Papa knew I was doing it, and he knew I didn't mean harm by it. I just didn't have a nickname for him," she said honestly and Marley thought for a moment realizing he wasn't around.

"Papa?" she asked.

"Papa had to go to work tonight, it's just you and me, until Mama Rae gets home, and you and I might be asleep by then," she said.

"Moo?" Marley asked.

"Moo? That's a new word baby. I'm proud of you for saying a new word, but I don't know what it means," Santana said honestly. "Can you spell it out for me?" Santana asked and Marley nodded. Santana lifted the two of them to the floor and pet Marley's hair letting her take her time. M...O...V...I...E," Marley spelled.

"Yes, we can watch the movie now," Santana smiled.

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><p>It had been a week since Marley opened the infamous box. She had yet to use the pacifiers and April had of course told Santana off for not getting her to actually use them. Rachel was in the back bedroom with Marley, helping her change into a clean shirt, since she spilled juice all over the one she'd been wearing.<p>

"Mama? Bah?" she asked pointing to her chest.

"No sweetheart, you are not bad. You didn't do anything wrong. Your hands fumbled and you dropped your juice, that's all. As soon as we change your shirt, we'll go back out there and you can have your lesson with miss April," Rachel told her kindly. Marley pouted and Rachel laughed. "It's okay, your Mommy makes those same faces when she has to do something she doesn't want to as well," she told her giving her a kiss to her forehead.

In the other room, Santana and April were having words. "I asked you to get her to use them."

"And I told you, I'm not forcing her. If she wants to use it, then fine, but it is her choice. I got her to see them, hold them, look at them, that's the best I can do. I will not force her," Santana said strongly.

"Santana, I don't know how else to make you understand this. I'm not the evil person here. Terri was the evil person. She is the one who tortured your little girl. She tortured the person who calls you Mommy. Marley calls you that for a reason. She calls you that, because she trusts you. I'm asking you to trust me. I know you don't. I don't know why you don't, but I promise you, I'm doing everything I can to help her. My job is to get her to heal her mouth, with the pacifiers at night, so that she can eventually start speaking full sentences," April lectured and Santana felt like she was back in high school in geography class, or in the choir room with Rachel giving some random odd lecture about performance techniques.

"She's afraid, I can't make her do something that scares her," Santana scared her.

"That is most definitely _not_ true. She didn't do a lot before you showed up. She talks for you, she moves for you, she gives her absolute best effort all for you. Before you showed up, we didn't think she was capable of any of the things that she does now. She didn't even cry or scream when they changed her, before you showed up," April said and Santana's eyes flashed with surprise. "You didn't know?" April asked in shock. "Okay, listen to me very carefully Santana. Marley sees you as her mom, the one who is in charge and makes the rules and is safe. I want her to heal. My way, will work. You have to talk to her and back me up on this," April said.

Santana and April had started softly, but their voices were rising and in the bedroom, Marley heard her. "Mommy?" Marley asked Rachel as Rachel helped her straighten her shirt out and got some lotion to put on her hands.

"Yes baby, I hear Mommy too. She's a Mommy Bear right now, and she's protecting her cub. Do you know who her cub is?" Rachel asked with a smile and Marley nodded proudly. "Papa says he only likes Mommy as a bear when she's defending us," Rachel said and Marley let out a little giggle. "Come on big girl, let's go and have your lesson. The faster we do it, the faster it's over," she said and Marley gave a sigh, but nodded. She carefully swung her legs over the bed and let Rachel help her to her feet. Rachel caught her weight before she fell back down to the bed and moved in quickly behind her. They laced their hands together and Marley locked out her knees. Rachel carefully pushed her own knee into the back of Marley's and bend by bend, they shuffled out of the room and into the main living space.

April was seated at the kitchen table and Rachel put Marley in the chair next to Santana. Santana was already seated on the left. Marley leaned into her and Santana kissed her temple. "Marley, I asked Mommy to stay with us for this lesson okay?" April asked and Marley nodded. "So, today is very simple, we're just going to say the alphabet. I know there are some letters that cause you lots of pain still, so for now we are going to skip them. I want to tell you though, that I know how to help heal the sores on the linings of your cheeks," she said.

Marley looked at her hopefully and then looked toward Santana who seemed far away somehow. "Mommy?" she asked softly. If Santana wasn't paying attention, or didn't trust April, then there was no way in hell Marley was going to trust April.

"I'm not leaving you baby, I'm here. Let's listen to what Miss April has to say," Santana said and Marley nodded.

"Thank you," April smiled at Santana. "See Marley, I've talked to a friend of mine and he's a dentist. The reason you wake up in pain in the morning is because the sores are drying out while you sleep. During the day, you are constantly swallowing or drinking, keeping your mouth lubricated naturally. At night, when you sleep, you stop all of that. The way to keep it going is to suck on something. Now I would never suggest you sleep with something that you could swallow in your mouth. That could be very dangerous and I have a feeling that if your Mommy even thought I might suggest that, she would have me out the door faster than anyone could ever imagine," April lectured kindly and Marley nodded her agreement.

"Mommy, Ayff," she said.

"Yes, your Mommy is very safe, especially when it comes to you. Now I know that before this big mess, you wanted to be someone's baby, and some babies, even some toddlers, use pacifiers. I truly believe that if you used a pacifier at night, only while you sleep, it would help your mouth heal faster, and I really think you want that," April told her.

Marley thought for a moment and nodded her agreement. "Thank you," April told her. "Now, I want you to keep that thought in your head and try tonight to at least start. Even if you start slow. One hour minimum, and then work up to all night. I know that Terri was a very mean lady who made non scary things absolutely terrifying for you, and for that I'm sorry, but in this house, with your Mommy, who is very safe, it's okay to try those things again, especially if it's going to help you get better faster," she said.

Marley gave the same sigh as Santana and from the kitchen stove Rachel covered her mouth, so as not to laugh at how alike "mother and daughter" actually were. "Now that that's over, I want to go over today's lesson. Can we try your alphabet please?" she asked and Marley agreed. "Can I look at your tongue first so I can update my notes?" she asked. Marley opened up her mouth and stuck out her tongue. The tip was covered in tiny little blisters all around the edge, her lips looked chapped, and April could see the two large sores at the back of her mouth, on her cheeks, one on either side. "The big blister on the top of your tongue is all healed up Marley, that's wonderful news. The little ones around the edge are getting smaller, from when I saw you two days ago, so that is wonderful news. Do your cheeks still hurt?" she asked with genuine concern.

Marley nodded yes. "Can you tell me how much they hurt? On a scale of one to ten? One means, only when you go to eat or talk, and ten means all the time, even when you just have your mouth closed," April said. Marley thought for a few moments and held up six fingers. "Six?" April asked and Marley nodded. "Okay, well I've set up your blocks and based on what I see, I'm going to take away the letters that I know will hurt your tongue and mouth even more, okay?" she asked.

Marley and Santana both watched with curiosity as April carefully picked off the letters. She had all twenty six set up, but one by one, she pulled them out. C, D, L, N, Q, S, T, V, W, X and Z. "Okay Marley I took away eleven letters. That means you are about sixty percent healed and for that I am so proud of you. Do you know that I work with people who at this point in the game still only say vowels? I'm really proud of you," April said. "Let's go slow okay. You say the letters that I point to, and we'll make sure that nothing in here hurts you okay?" she asked and Marley thought for a moment and then took Santana's hand. She could do it if she had full support.

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><p>Two hours later, Marley was finished with her lesson and sitting on the floor of the living room, in Santana's lap, holding her teddy bear as she watched tv and Rachel stood in the kitchen cooking, singing the ABC song. Marley looked over at Santana and giggled, cuddling into her. "What's so funny baby?"<p>

"Mama Rae," she said.

"Why is Mama Rae funny?" Marley reached for her blocks and spelled out the word sing. Santana listened and started to laugh herself. She had to admit that it was pretty funny that Rachel was the one singing the ABC song. "Mama Rae was very good in school. Maybe she's trying to do your homework for you," Santana teased. Marley smiled and leaned into Santana letting out a long loud yawn. "Are you tired my love?" she asked her and Marley nodded.

"Alright well how about you take a little nap," she suggested.

"Mommy?" she asked.

"Yes baby?"

"Mouf?' she asked.

"Your mouth? Does it hurt?" Marley nodded that it did and Santana looked concerned about this. "Maybe it was all your exercises today. Shall we try eating a banana to help the muscles, and then maybe a nap?" Santana suggested. Marley thought about it for a moment and then agreed. She kept quiet about the fact that maybe she was ready to try the pacifier.

Santana cuddled her for an hour, getting her to eat three quarters of the banana, which was an improvement, and she drank an entire glass of juice by herself, which was also a huge improvement. "I am so proud of you Marley, you are making such great progress, and I want you to remember something. For as long as you wish, I will be your Mommy. If you ever want that to stop," she said and Marley quickly looked at her and shook her head no, curling in tight to her side and wrapping her arms around Santana's waist as best she could. "You don't have to baby, but know that you always have that option, should you want it," she said.

"Mommy?" she asked and Santana looked at her kindly waiting for her to continue. "I go," she said and then she threw her hands in the other direction. Santana took a moment to figure it out and smiled.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. "Then you do not need to worry my lovely girl. You can stay here as long as you want to," Santana told her.

Marley was sound asleep ten minutes later and very carefully Santana removed herself and let Marley lay down on the couch. She got up and went into the bedroom, to go over some emails that her clients at the club had sent her. Most of them knew that she was out of business for a while, due to personal complications, and a majority of them, still emailed her their transgressions for the week. She would come up with the proper 'punishments' for them and then send a copy of her orders to the club. Santana would be paid on her training pay schedule and any tips that she acquired were saved up and mailed to her at the end of the week. One client even added a hand written note that they hoped she got everything straightened out with ease, because she was greatly missed.

One of the emails was from Susan and Santana read over it carefully, to be sure she understood.

_"Hello my darling Santana,_

_We have been getting lots of requests for you to come out of your hiatus. Miss Beth and I have talked about all the pros and cons of such a decision. None of the clients are walking. They want to wait for you. Miss Beth and I are slightly concerned about how long Marley's recovery will keep you out though. In order to strike some sort of compromise I am offering my services as a babysitter for Marley. I will meet her with you, spend as much time with her as I can while you are around, and then we will slowly move to having me with Marley and you with your clients. The reason I am offering this, is because she can be here at the club with you. I have the nursery setting and the playroom setting, she'll also be close to you. I would like for you to simply consider this option. We are not pushing you or Marley in any way. Just know that it is available to you. Wishing you, Marley, Rachel, and Kurt all the best._

_Susan."_

"Yeah, that's not awkward at all," she sighed. She scrubbed at her face and then went over the email three more times, to be sure she truly understood what was being asked of her. She was about to go over it a fourth time, but Rachel's scales in the bathroom, brought her out of her thoughts. She decided to check on Marley first. Marley was completely out, her chest rising and falling evenly as she took a much deserved rest. For a brief moment, Santana wondered if she should put Marley on a nap schedule. She quickly shook that thought from her head and squashed it. There really was no need for it. Marley did the best she could to communicate at all times, unless she was terrified about something.

Santana waited for Rachel to come out of the bathroom and they began discussing the idea of babysitting. They had been talking things out for the past hour and no one heard Marley wake up. Marley heard them, but tuned them out. She focused on the box that was just on the other side of the coffee table. That box held her pacifiers, and she was starting to think that maybe it might help. Maybe April did know what she was talking about after all. Marley took a deep breath and reached outward. Her arm didn't quite make it, so she wiggled her fingers, trying to inch closer, but still wasn't close enough. She let out a little muffled grunt of frustration. She took a deep breath in and on her exhale she reached a little further, except she reached too far, leaned a bit too much and fell off the couch, alerting Santana and Rachel that A) she was awake and B) she was probably in pain now.

It didn't take long for Marley to catch her breath from the shock of the fall and for tears to start flowing. She was angry at herself now for crying, and she was angry that she had put herself in pain, so she just laid there and cried. Rachel and Santana were with Marley quickly, trying to calm her down and getting her to still herself so they could check her for injuries.

"What happened love?" Rachel asked.

"She went pole vaulting!" Santana replied with nothing but snark in her voice.

"She knows what I meant," Rachel said and carefully pulled Marley into her arms and cuddled her. "I'll hold you and Mommy can check you over to make sure nothing needs serious medical attention," she said and Marley agreed. Her gaze was very relaxed and Santana wasn't sure she liked that.

Rachel brushed away her tears and kissed the top of her head and Santana ran her hands carefully over Marley's body. Her gaze seemed far off and Santana was trying to gage Marley's current state of mind. She seemed to be staring off to the right at something, but it wasn't an intense stare, just a gaze in that direction. She wasn't sure if she should say something or not, so she carefully snapped her fingers over on Marley's left. "Marley baby, are you okay? Do you hurt somewhere else?" she asked trying to get her attention.

Marley looked at her and Santana smiled. "Hi baby. Are you okay, do you hurt somewhere else?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. She wasn't completely focused, she was having a stand off with the box. Right now it held all the power and she didn't like that. She wanted to take back her power. She wanted to do something that would make her better, she wanted to try, but she couldn't move so well. She sat against Rachel feeling warm and comfortable for a moment, until her belly rumbled the famous rumble that meant she needed the bathroom. Rachel and Santana carefully helped her to stand and lead her into the bathroom. They sat her on the toilet and her body erupted, making her scream in pain.

She sobbed heavily as Rachel and Santana carefully cleaned her up. There was still one sore on her bottom that was raw enough to open up every so often and leak small traces of blood. "I'm so sorry baby," Santana told her and she grabbed one of the warm cleaning cloths and pressed it to Marley's wound. She applied gentle pressure and looked at Rachel. "Let's get her ready for a bath," Santana said.

Rachel nodded and began filling up the tub. "What are you doing?" Santana asked.

"Running the bath," Rachel pointed out.

"Before I rinse her down? Do you want her sitting in her own filth?" Santana asked angrily.

"Hey, back off, I've never run a bath before for her."

"Yes you have!"

"No! Actually, I haven't," Rachel said and the two continued to squabble, not realizing how upset it was making Marley. They had done this all the time. They would fight and things would blow up, and the next day, everything would be fine, because the "blow up" would absolve all the tension between them. They actually hadn't had a fight in a really long time and this was the first time in front of Marley.

Marley screamed again and both Rachel and Santana jumped. "Oh for the love of," Santana said trailing off and she carefully guided Rachel's hands onto Marley's body and got the shower ready so she could rinse Marley off before letting her soak in a bath. Marley was holding on to Rachel tightly now and trembling, almost violently.

"Santana," Rachel said calmly and there was something in her voice that tipped Santana off that something was not right at all. She turned to see her little girl, trembling with tears streaming down her face.

"Stay with her," Santana said softly. "Marley honey. Look at Mommy baby, it's okay, you're okay," she said and Marley shook her head no, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Shhh, okay, let's communicate baby, we do that very well, don't we?" she asked her kindly and the softness and kindness in her voice only made Marley cry harder. She hugged Rachel tightly, buried her face in Rachel's neck, trying to get smaller and shook.

"No baby, look at Mommy," Rachel coached gently and Marley shrieked softly when Rachel tried to guide her into a different position. "Ah, ah, ah, no," Rachel told her. "Look at Mommy baby. Something is very wrong and Mommy and Mama Rae will help you, but we can only do that when you communicate and hiding against me is not going to accomplish that," she lectured. Marley simply cried and Santana frowned.

"Okay," she sighed. "So we try something else," she said and she carefully stripped down to her underwear. Rachel's eyes went wide. "I'll hold her, you rinse off her bottom. Just be careful. You can't let the flow hit her wounds directly. Start at her low back and let it roll down on it's own," she said.

"She's going to scream again, isn't she?" Rachel said as they carefully got her settled into a stable standing position, something that Marley seemed dead set against.

"Probably," Santana said. Rachel set the sprayer to light and started at Marley's back and Marley screamed. It was the scream that Santana had learned well. Marley was scared, but she wasn't saying of what. "Do not cry on me Berry," Santana said firmly.

"Stop telling me what to do," Rachel said and she didn't look up. She couldn't watch Santana, otherwise, she really would lose it. She was trying to keep it together for Marley, but it was increasingly difficult with each passing second.

Marley finally leaned on to Santana fully and just cried as hard as her body would let her. "Okay, she's clean, and it's all been washed down the drain. Does she like apple or bubble gum bubbles better?" Rachel asked holding up the bottles.

"Apples are usually preferred," Santana said calmly and she watched Rachel start to add the bubbles. Then she moved over to doorway and Santana called her. "Rae, thank you for your help," she told her.

"For you, I will do a lot, for Marley I will do anything," she said with a slight smirk and Santana laughed, watching her leave the room and shut the door behind her, to keep the heat in.

"Alright baby girl, let's sit in the bath. You and Mommy, you're okay," Santana soothed. She lowered the two of them down and Marley shook, not cuddling into Santana at all, which was highly unusual. "We need to talk baby girl. You have to tell me what has you so upset, or at least try, so that I can help fix it," she tried. Marley shook and Santana sighed. This was all on her, no blocks, no real words, just her and Marley. "Alright sweetheart, let's try. You screamed before and I know that scream. Are you scared?" she asked and Marley nodded weakly, tear flowing freely once again. "Alright my love, what has you so scared?" she asked trying to recall what'd happened just recently. It took her some time and then she realized. "Did Mommy scare you?" she asked and Marley burst into heavy sobs. She was going to be beaten now, she was sure of it. Santana felt her heart break and thought a while longer, trying to hold Marley close, but she was too scared to lean in. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry love," she called kindly and she carefully covered Marley's ear. "RAE!" she yelled, making sure she would be heard.

"WAIT!" Rachel called back and appeared a minute later in the doorway. "What's up?" she asked.

"Come sit please, I figured out what's wrong," she said and worry crossed Rachel's features, but she sat down just outside the tub, resting her chin on her hands, on the ledge of the tub. "I did it, I'm the one who scared Marley," she said honestly and Marley started crying again.

"How? She loves you."

"When I snapped at you earlier. She doesn't know we do that a lot," Santana said.

"It's not a crazy amount of a lot though," Rachel said gently.

"It's the first time Marley's seen it," she pointed out and Rachel frowned.

"Is that what freaked you out baby? That Mommy and I were fighting?" Rachel asked kindly. Marley just cried, afraid to move it seemed. "Honey listen to Mama Rae very carefully. Mommy and I have been fighting and calling each other names for years! We have a very strange love/hate relationship. Mommy has a temper and when it flares up she yells and snaps and growls a lot. She's like a Mama Bear protecting her cubs. The other thing is that right now you are her cub and she loves you a great deal. She was concerned that I wasn't going to take good care of you. That's why she yelled, but we're still friends and she still loves you very much."

"I love Mama Rae too," Santana said softly. She knew Rachel wouldn't make that statement, but it had to be said because Marley needed to hear it. It was also true and Santana knew Rachel had to hear it too.

"See honey? It's okay. It just sometimes things get a little loud between us. We're both very stubborn women, although neither one of us like to admit that," she said honestly.

Marley looked unsure and Rachel smiled kindly at her. "How about you and Mommy finish your bath. As soon as your done, I'll take you into the kitchen and we'll have a small snack and Mommy can take a proper rinse off or shower, because right now, she's in her underwear and I don't think that's how she wants to stay," Rachel said.

"What do you say love? Does that sound like a good plan?" Santana asked gently.

"Kay," Marley said softly.

"Good. Finish up sweetheart and call me when you're ready okay?" Rachel said and she leaned in and gave Marley a kiss to her forehead and then kissed Santana's cheek before leaving.

"Can we cuddle while we sit in this nice warm bubble water?" Santana asked gently once Rachel had left. Marley didn't move and Santana frowned. "Okay sweetheart, we'll sit here till your ready to either cuddle or get out. I leave it totally up to you," Santana said.

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><p><strong>Again, please Read &amp; Review, so I know that there is actual interest in it.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well and here is Chapter 9 of the story. It is one of the shorter chapter for sure, but know that, as creative as this story is, I didn't realize how much energy it took out of me and sometimes, you guys need a break too. Especially after last chapter.**

**The warnings for this chapter are still trust issues and Marley's used of the pacifier.**

**Also I would like to take a moment to explain one thing. I know that I basically pleaded and slightly blackmailed you all into reviewing. What I would like to explain is that I was concerned. I personally took a risk with this story and after 178 view for chapter 7, I had ONE review, so I honestly thought there was no interest in the story. It tells me, that the story is reviewed and who's following and who's reviewing, but it doesn't tell me if you read it all the way through, or if you gave up because you were grossed out by something in the story. If that makes sense. So please do review. You don't have to review EVERY chapter. People have lives, I understand that. It's why I only post once a week most of the time. I don't want to promise something and not be able to follow through with it. However, if the reviews dwindle, then I tend to think interest has been lost, so if you could all check in every two or three chapters, I would love that.**

**Also the other thing I never mentioned and should have, is that EVERY song I reference in this story has been done in the show by said character, so if you don't remember it you can you tube it or google it or something and you'll be refreshed. I'm really glad I picked these characters though, because even with these talented singers, it gets hard to find performances that fit the situation. **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I look forward to any review you feel like leaving. I'm also up for PM's to answer questions and/or concerns. Also, many and massive thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderboob, & Beaner008 for all their guidance and inspiration.**

**All the best my friends.**

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><p>It took twenty minutes for the water to start to cool off and Santana called for Rachel and together they got Marley out of the tub, dried, dressed, and then Rachel took her into the kitchen. "What should we eat sweetheart?" Rachel asked.<p>

"Eeee," Marley said softly.

"Point to it baby, I'm sorry," she told her honestly. Marley pointed to the pack of string cheese and Rachel smiled giving it to her. "Here you go love," she said and then she set about figuring out what she was going to make for dinner. "Marley honey, let's try grilled cheese tonight okay?" she asked and Marley instantly dropped her snack and Rachel sighed. She said something that triggered other things, because now Marley's bottom lip was wobbling and Marley looked rather upset. "Oh sweetheart, I don't know what I said," Rachel sighed and she sat next to Marley and tried to wrap her in a hug, but Marley screamed and Rachel sighed heavily. "Okay, okay, take a breath honey," she said kindly and Marley just cried.

_"Someone seems to be a picky eater," Terri had said. She had on a terribly sweet sickening voice, and Marley didn't trust her. It'd been a month now and after two weeks Marley had seen Terri go from demanding with a few bits of comfort to downright cruel with no comfort ever. "If that's how you want to play it fine, that's all you'll have," she said and she put a large bag of carrots into the blender. Marley watched with wide eyes as Terri ground up carrots into a paste. "I want it gone, all of it, and if you don't, I will force it down your throat," Terri said. There were four cups of mashed up carrots in the blender now, in a thick paste, and Marley did her best to eat as much as she could. Unfortunately Terri didn't approve, and she force fed Marley all the carrots, the poor girl gagging and sputtering. Marley couldn't do it and Terri was getting frustrated. She threw the blender of carrots on the floor and everything shattered. "You'll be cleaning that up later!" Terri growled and without warning she yanked Marley over her lap and began spanking her firmly, turning her bottom a bright shade of red, and creating two large blisters._

Marley's memory had taken over her body and she didn't even realize that she was in the living room, on the couch, in Santana's arms. "Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay baby, and Mama Rae would never ever do anything to hurt our little girl. I'm so sorry we scared you before," she told her gently. Marley's breath was getting out of control and Santana looked at Rachel. "I can't, and you know it."

"Her breath is out of control, she's going to hyperventilate and pass out," Rachel said.

"I can't force her," Santana said.

"She hears you. Try. Don't force. Strongly encourage. You know there's a difference," Rachel said.

"Get the fairy one," Santana said rolling her eyes and she pulled Marley tighter to her body. "Okay baby, listen to Mommy," Santana said. "We have to have a very serious talk sweetheart. I'm not forcing you. I would never ever force you to do anything that scares you baby, you know that right? Mommy does her best to be as careful as possible when it comes to you. Right now though, you're not breathing well, so we want to help you control it," she said and Rachel returned, carefully putting the pacifier into Santana's hand while still staying out of view. "Look baby, just look at it. I'm not going to put it in for you. You're going to do that, if you want," Santana said. "I don't want it to be so hard for you to breathe that you pass out on us. It's just Mommy baby, it's just you and me, and if you suck on the pacifier it will help you calm down," Santana said.

Marley heard a few words, but not full sentences, and her chest was starting to hurt and it was starting to get harder and harder for her to get air into her lungs. "Listen to Mommy, Marley. Just hear Mommy's voice," Santana said.

"Sing Santana, sing anything," Rachel said kindly.

"Like what?"

"When I find myself in time of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be," Rachel sang and Santana took the hint and continued.

"And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be," she said. Marley couldn't focus though, it still hurt to breathe and while she was in safe arms, she felt really scared. Santana stopped singing and pulled Marley tighter, kissing her temple softly and repeatedly before putting the pacifier in Marley's hand. "This is your choice baby, but if you suck on that, you'll have to regulate your breathing and it will stop hurting and stop being so hard, but I will not force you," Santana said.

Marley looked at the pacifier in her hands with wide eyes, trying to figure out what Santana wanted her to do with it. She couldn't truly hear anything going on around her and then she realized that she was too worked up. It happened all the time when she was younger. She'd get all worked up about something and then she couldn't hear things. A few words broke through Santana's little lecture and Marley shoved the pacifier in her mouth, almost violently. "Easy, easy, don't choke," Santana said and she carefully hooked her finger in the loop, tugging lightly on it. "Just have it sit there baby, the more you suck, the more you'll have to regulate your breathing, it's okay, you're safe. It's just you and Mommy," she said and looked to Rachel.

Rachel smiled and shook her head. "She can't know I'm here right now anyway, you're doing great, and she's doing better," Rachel said pointing kindly to the now less stressed out Marley, from her perch on top of the couch.

Marley put her head on Santana's chest and simply held her breath. "No sweetheart, it's okay," Santana said and she took the pacifier out of Marley's mouth and let her breathe how she wanted. "I don't want you to be scared of this honey. It's just to help you calm down right now, and Miss April wants you to use it at night so that your mouth doesn't go dry," Santana explained.

Marley cried heavily and let all her weight fall against Santana. It took several minutes but eventually Marley cried herself to sleep. "I hate this," Santana said gently.

"And what would that be?" Rachel asked moving to sit on the coffee table.

"That I can't help her. That I'm not helping her."

"You can't possibly think that Santana," Rachel told her.

"I do. She's so stressed and so out of it, that, ugh, I just. I'm failing her and I didn't want to do that," she said.

"Okay, listen to me very carefully lady. You and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. Including this apparently. Santana, Marley does everything, for you. She speaks, she eats, she moves, she tries, and it's all because you showed her that you can be trusted, that you won't hurt her."

"She just had a total melt down," Santana said and as she spoke Marley shifted a bit, laying her head flat on Santana's chest, sighing softly.

Rachel smiled and nodded. "She did, obviously over something I said, which I'm sorry about, but do you think that two months ago when she was with Terri, she got any of this? Do you think Terri would hold her, bathe her, let her even have a tantrum? We both read the file Santana we know she came from a really terrible place. You are helping her. I can't imagine how frustrated you might be at what seems like slow progress, but you need to give yourself credit. You're doing a really fabulous job," she said honestly.

"I just can't fail her and she was so scared."

"It's not failing Santana, it's finding ways that do or don't work. We also have to find out what I did to set her off, because I definitely did it," Rachel said.

"You wouldn't be able to make anyone do that!" Santana said kindly and softly.

"Apparently you've been proven wrong," Rachel said with a cheeky grin. The front door opened and Kurt came home, looking exhausted. "Hey, stay quiet please," Rachel told him and he looked over at the couch. He craned his neck around and saw a very tired looking Marley sleeping on a very depressed looking Santana.

"Maybe the Mommy needs a nap too," he said.

"Maybe Papa would like a foot up his ass," Santana growled.

"Alright, that's enough. You," Rachel said turning to Kurt. "You leave them alone. Come with me into the kitchen, so I can pick your brain about dinner ideas, and you," she said looking at Santana. "Rest up and know that you are a very wonderful Mommy for Marley. End of discussion," she told her kindly and dragged Kurt out of the room.

"What did I miss?" he asked her.

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><p>Santana kept Marley against her, absent-mindedly combing her fingers through Marley's hair, keeping the younger girl calm and relaxed as she read over the blue folder. She was missing something, she knew she was. "Come on, jump out at me, something has to be here," she said.<p>

She was vaguely aware of Marley moving beneath her, but she was determined to just keep reading. "Mommy's right here baby, you do whatever you want, and if you need me you just squeeze my hand. I'm only reading something," she said not even looking at her but continuing to pet her hair.

Marley moved a little bit, seemingly getting comfortable, but in reality she was trying to gauge Santana's sincerity and see if she was focused on her. Sometimes Santana would let her be and she needed this to be one of those times. When she woke up, she saw the pacifier in her own hand and she tried to remember if she had used it or somehow asked to use it. She thought about it a few more minutes and then with a very deep breath, she inched it slowly into her mouth, sucking on it gently. She had to admit that it was helping her calm down. The first ten seconds were fine, but when she saw Santana's arm reach over her to do something, she went into panic mode and let the pacifier fall out of her mouth, her breathing going ragged again.

"Shhh, Mommy's here baby, you're safe. You rest as long as you need to my love," she told her and kissed the top of her head and went back to reading. Marley wasn't able to relax right away though and she carefully ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth, wincing when she pressed against the sores. With a great deal of courage and a quick burst of confidence she opened her jaw and got the pacifier back into her mouth, sucking furiously at first and then calming down. "You okay love?" Santana asked looking down and Marley immediately spit out the pacifier. She pushed it away so hard that it started to topple off Santana's lap and Santana quickly caught it. "How about juice, is that okay?" Santana asked her kindly, putting the pacifier back in Marley's hand. "Hey Rachel can I get some of Marley's fruit punch please?" she called out.

Marley didn't budge and Santana looked at Rachel as she walked over with the glass of juice, their eyes catching and then Santana moved her eyes to her palm where Rachel saw the pacifier. "Did you want some juice baby?" Santana asked her and again Marley didn't move. "Okay, here's what we do. Mama Rae will leave the juice here and you can rest on me as long as you need to," she said and Marley didn't move. The pacifier was still in her hand, but she wasn't going to fuss with it. Not in front of people, although they didn't seem to care too much that she was or wasn't using it. That much she had focused in on.

Rachel stood up and then knelt in front of the two girls, rubbing Marley's back and she spoke softly. "Marley baby, let me know when you're hungry okay? You barely had any of your snack and I don't want you getting dehydrated or low on energy. You get muscle cramps that way," Rachel told her kindly, gave her a kiss and left them alone again.

"What was that all about?" Kurt asked Rachel in a hushed whisper once she returned to the kitchen. She gave him a look of curiosity and he rolled his eyes. "Maybe it's some weird mother thing, but you and Santana just had an entire conversation with your eyes and there was something she wanted you to notice, what's going on?" he asked.

"She used her pacifier."

"She used it?" Kurt asked with a happy smile.

"Yes, well I think she did, but if I'm taking my cues right, we don't mention it," Rachel hissed at him.

"You're okay baby, you keep resting for as long as you need, Mommy isn't going anywhere," Santana said kindly. Kurt heard Marley's erratic breathing all the way in the kitchen and he said a silent prayer for her to take the pacifier. Obviously it worked the first time.

"Wait, did she fall asleep with it?" he whispered.

"No, she cried herself to sleep."

"So she used it when she woke up?" he asked and Rachel nodded and then shrugged. She wasn't completely sure.

"Mommy," a small voice said.

"What's up baby?" Santana asked putting the folder on the coffee table and before Marley could say any more Marley leaned over and threw up. Santana wrinkled her face but didn't say anything. She carefully got her out of the position she was in, away from whatever vomit was on Santana and Marley burst into hysterical sobs. "Help please," Santana called and both Kurt and Rachel went to help. Kurt showed up with a roll of paper towels and Rachel and Santana guided Marley into the kitchen, where she threw up twice more in the sink. "She's burning up," Santana said sadly.

"Of course she is, you'd be burning up too if you'd been throwing up," Rachel said. "Marley baby, Mama Rae is going to rub your tummy, very gently, just like we did with the lotion. It's just to settle it," she said. Marley was crying so hard, that she didn't pay any attention to Rachel. She didn't know where she was, or what was going on. She just felt terrible. "San, I'm singing okay?" Rachel asked and Santana nodded, wetting a small cloth so that she could wipe down Marley's face. "When the rain is blowing in your face," Rachel started to sing and eventually her voice broke through Marley's cries and Marley started to calm down. "There's my sweet girl," Rachel smiled as she saw Marley start to come out of her stupor. "Look baby, look at Mommy," she said pointing her to look toward Santana.

"Hi baby," Santana said and Marley saw unshed tears in her eyes.

Marley was afraid she'd done something wrong, obviously she'd made Santana cry. This was it, this was where they were going to get rid of her. Marley burst into further tears and Santana sighed. "Shhh, you're okay, you're okay. I just got scared. Despite what some people think, I do have feelings, I do cry," Santana told her with a smile, wiping her away her tears.

"Mommy is just very sad baby," Rachel said kindly. "See, Mommy loves you so much, and when you got sick just now, she got scared and was afraid there was something wrong," Rachel said and Santana nodded.

"You are my big brave wonderful baby girl Marley," Santana told her. Marley nodded and looked down at the sink, seeing her own vomit in there and then she looked to Santana for some sort of confirmation. "You're okay, just got sick. You were doing very well and then you were lying on my chest and then got sick. I don't know what caused it. Did you eat anything funny tasting?" Santana asked her kindly, brushing her hair back and petting her forehead. Her face was flushed, but not as warm as before. "Do you want to sit back down now? We can go sit and cuddle if you like," she said.

"Well once Mommy gets changed," Rachel smiled. "Come on baby. You come sit with Mama Rae and Papa and we'll order in take out and watch a movie all together on the couch okay?" she asked.

"Take out?" Santana asked rinsing off the bottom of her shirt and washing the sink as well.

"Hold my shoulders sweetheart," Rachel said to Marley, helping her into position. "Yes, it's my night to cook. I decided on take out," she said. "Mainly because I don't know what else to cook," she laughed leading Marley to the couch where Kurt was waiting with Teddy Bear and the pacifier was on the coffee table. Marley went stiff, afraid they were going to make her use it and tears sprung to her eyes.

"Mommy," she cried out softly.

"As soon as she's done sweetheart, she just has to change tops," Rachel said kindly helping Marley to sit on the couch.

"MOMMY!" Marley screamed.

"I'm right here honey, I promise, I'm just changing!" Santana called from the other room, and as soon as she emerged, Marley went to spring forward, however she didn't have a lot of stability in her core yet so she toppled onto her side. She moved too fast for her own body and the pain exploded through every nerve ending. Kurt and Rachel watched with wide eyes and Marley laid between them, screaming bloody murder. "Alright, that's enough," Santana said. Her voice was completely calm, but she was in full Mistress Mode, Kurt was in awe.

She sat down on the couch, pulled Marley tight to her body. "No more screaming Marley," she told her strongly, and squeezed her just a little bit tighter.

"Mommy," she cried, gasping for breath.

"Yes, Mommy's here and you're safe, but no more screaming," she told her. "Look at me Marley, do you know my name?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Say it quitely," she told her kindly, rubbing her back, their foreheads now gently pressed together.

"Mommy," she said softly.

"Good girl, and who else is here?" she asked.

"Mama ah Papa," she said softly.

"Yes my love, very good. Now, are you still in pain? I saw that face, I know that face," she told her. Marley nodded slowly. "Okay, so we have to breathe and calm down to get rid of the pain, just like you do with Mr. Joe. Just breathe in and out my love, you know how to do that," Santana coached. It took some time but then she was calm and Santana smiled. "Very good my sweet girl, now, I have a few questions, do you think you're ready?" Santana asked and with some hesitation Marley nodded. "We will go slow, I will always go slow with you. I want you to understand everything around you," she said.

Rachel and Kurt watched in awe as Santana took over the situation with such authority and grace and Rachel marveled at how Santana could even possibly think she was failing Marley in any way at all. "Alright baby girl. First. You woke up on my chest, did that scare you or make you feel safe?" she asked holding up two fingers. Marley grabbed the second finger. "You also woke up with something in your hand, do you know what that was?" Marley nodded. "Will you say it for me?"

Marley thought for a moment, little tears trickling down her cheeks. "Pa-fy-ah," she hiccupped. This was Mommy Santana. Marley was willing to try for her.

"Very good, and you know what you said a word that has been scaring you for a while and nothing happened did it?" she asked and Marley looked at her questioningly. "No one laughed, or yelled, or teased you, or told you to stop, or called you names. The floor didn't open up and swallow us all to the ground. Nothing bad is going to happen to you if you choose to use your pacifier. Mama Rae, and Papa, and I fully support you, if you feel that you need to use it," Santana said.

Marley still looked scared and Santana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She opened them up again and gave Marley a gentle kiss to her ckeek. "Marley baby, you look terrified, and I don't want you to be afraid of me, or this house, or what goes on here," she said kindly. Marley leaned in and rested her head on Santana's shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around Santana and sighed softly.

"I think she's okay with everything," Kurt told Santana softly and the buzzer rang startling the tender moment. "That's dinner, I'll get it," he told her.

"I ordered chinese food. Sesame Chicken and Rice for Marley," Rachel smiled as she leaned in and kissed her forehead. "And I got double for Marley's Mommy," Rachel giggled and Santana rolled her eyes.

"Mama Rae thinks she's cute," Santana said and Rachel nodded proudly. "She isn't," Santana said simply.

"Mommy thinks she's fresh, and she definitely is," Rachel said rolling her eyes. "Marley love, which would you like with dinner, juice or something else?" she asked her. Marley touched her first finger and Rachel nodded. "You're so special and so brave Marley, never forget that," she told her.

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><p>The four of them had eaten dinner on the couch and Marley let all of them take turns feeding her. Santana had been right, no one laughed, or teased, or did anything to make Marley feel like she was less important than she actually was. After an hour they finished and Marley sat on the floor next to Santana playing with a toy piano. She liked it because of the lights and the fact that it actually played music. Joe had given it to her a while ago.<p>

_"Remember my counting cups Marley? Well this is almost like that. It looks like a baby toy, I know, but for you it isn't. Your hands are much better, due to all the lotion that your Mommy has been giving you. So now we have to get them moving again. I heard somewhere along the line that you like music. So this is a little toy that will let you do that. I had to get it small to start with because this hospital only has so much space," he explained and Marley nodded her understanding. "I know your Mommy sings, maybe she plays too, or she can play it with you. Maybe you can teach her," he suggested._

"Okay baby girl, teach me now," Satana said and Marley smiled. She tapped one key twice, then a second, then a third and then a fourth. It carried on until she tapped 8 keys twice each and Santana smiled. She knew the song, but it was slow now and she was so proud of Marley. "Help me baby, you do it first, one at a time, then I will follow," she said and Marley nodded. One key twice. Santana repeated. This carried on for an hour before Marley started to yawn and then snuggled closer into Santana's side. "How about we stop playing now and watch a movie?" she asked.

Marley shook her head. She didn't want to. Movies with everyone were fun, but Marley knew she would fall asleep and falling asleep meant her dreams would come to life. She was afraid of the nightmares that would haunt her tonight. Everything she feared would come back to haunt her. Just thinking about it made her want to be sick and now her stomach was still digesting, so if she threw up, it was going to hurt a lot. She turned into Santana and started to cry softly.

"Oh baby," Santana sighed and she gathered her into her arms, keeping her close, rocking gently, humming softly to help Marley settle down. "Alright my love, bed time for us," Santana said kindly and she carefully stood up, brought Marley with her and with help from Kurt and Rachel they went into the bedroom. Santana went in and Rachel and Kurt left. Santana shut the door and Marley burst into tears all over again.

* * *

><p>Kurt had been staring at the bedroom door for the past hour. He felt Rachel slide in next to him and she frowned. "You know, if you stare any harder I think you might actually get a migraine, and you'll need glasses," she told him softly.<p>

"She's been in there for two hours and for the past twenty minutes it's been nothing but dead silence. Do you think she killed her? Because the last thing I heard was a scream and then nothing," he said softly.

"Santana is all bark and only semi bite. She wouldn't murder Marley. She's probably just staying with her until she's calm," she suggested.

"I don't like it. It's too quiet."

Rachel got a smile on her face and leaned forward picking up the remote. "So turn on some noise," she said kindly and the two of them cuddled on the couch to watch Funny Girl which was miraculously on television that night.

"Hey keep it down please, she's finally sleeping," Santana said emerging from the bedroom.

"She lives!" Rachel smiled shouting as softly and excitedly as possible.

"You didn't kill her, did you?" Kurt asked bluntly as Santana sat next to him.

"Yes, I did, she's in there, right now, soaking in her own blood," Santana sighed.

"Poor Mommy Tana," Rachel said in a mock pout.

"Shut it dwarf," she snapped quietly.

Rachel ignored that comment and continued speaking. "You want tea?" she asked. "We have mint and chamomile," she said.

"Oooh, I want," Kurt said and Rachel nodded and then looked at Santana. "It'll help your nerves," she offered.

"Yeah, okay fine," she said and she sat on the couch quietly, closing her eyes and she felt a hand slip into hers. "I need more than that," she said.

"This is all I can give you, you're not interested in my parts," he said with a small laugh.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello Everyone!**

**I hope you're all doing well. Firstly, thank you for all the reviews for the previous chapter, I'm glad you are all enjoying the story.**

**Warnings for this chapter - there is a medium level of squick factor. Vomit is kind of big in the first few paragraphs, but not as graphic as it could have been. Also, still in the this chapter, pacifiers, trust issues, and flashbacks to Terri. **

**I am still very grateful to Nayfan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration.**

**Again if there are any questions that anyone has, please feel free to PM me and I'll do my best to answer your questions. Thanks again for reading.**

**Wishing you all well, :)**

* * *

><p>Marley woke up in the dark. She blinked her eyes a few times and realized it was around three in the morning when her eyes settled on the red glowing numbers of the clock near by. She was starting to have a muscle cramp and her core was still hurting from when she had thrown up earlier. She couldn't wake up Santana though. That wouldn't work. She'd be thrown out. Marley didn't want to put her out anymore, but the pain was starting to increase and she let out a muffled cry and her bowels released. She couldn't control anything and she realized that she couldn't even distinguish the difference in pain. It was no longer liquid fire. Her stomach muscles had healed themselves, but now she messed herself like a true baby.<p>

She laid in her mess and heard a voice in her head. She shut her eyes to the darkened room and she tried to push the voice away, but it wouldn't go. It was screaming at her. She didn't know how to stop it either. She didn't want to lay there and take it anymore, she just wanted the voice to stop.

_"You worthless little shit, look at you, look at this mess. No wonder you couldn't get anyone else to take you in. You're too much work. You're too sloppy and one of the most ungrateful little bitches, I've ever met," Terri yelled. "Don't worry sweet cheeks," she said pinching her cheeks hard. "I met a great man and he's going to make sure that we treat you like the little baby slut you are," Terri said._

Marley burst into hysterical sobs, trying so hard to stay quiet. It was just too much muscular control though. She lost her balance, tipped onto her back, and started to vomit, gagging as it rose in her throat. All the noise and movement woke Santana and she very quickly and carefully turned Marley onto her stomach, keeping her in an all four position. "RACHEL!" she yelled and reached up to bang on their adjoining wall. She knew the noise was probably too much for Marley to handle, but right now Marley had to be taken care of her and fear of noises she wasn't expecting, had to be put on the back burner.

Rachel came into the room and tiredly looked at what was going on. "What do you need?" she yawned.

"Above all, a bath," she said.

"We're going to need Kurt to help," Rachel said and Santana shot her a glare. "The bathroom is on the other side of the house," she continued and they both winced when Marley screamed.

"Hurry please," Santana said and she carefully got Marley to her feet and Marley began screaming in pain. "I'm so sorry baby, you're okay, Mommy's here, it's okay. Mommy's here, you're safe baby," she assured her but all Marley felt was pain. Santana held Marley close and tried to guide Marley's head to her shoulder. She wanted to give her something that was familiar, since she was clearly lost in her head. Marley was struggling though, not sure of where she was, or what was going on.

Kurt and Rachel returned moments later and Kurt looked at Santana. "Move over please," he said and she glared at him. "I didn't say let her go, I said move over," he said simply. "I need you to shift to the side, so I can lift her," he continued and Santana looked a bit confused. "Santana it is very early or very late, please don't argue," he sighed. She gave in, shifted slightly and he slipped in closer to Marley and lifted her into his arms, causing her to scream.

"Don't hurt her!" Santana snapped protectively.

"You're standing right there!" Kurt snapped back, just as protectively. "All I did was lift her up, she's just lost and confused," Kurt said and he started to walk out of the room.

"How are you doing this and for the love of God be careful and don't drop her," Rachel said walking nervously behind him, keeping her hand on his lower back, as if that was going to help somehow.

Santana went ahead and got the water warm before Marley even showed up. They walked in and she started barking orders. "NO!" Rachel said quickly. "We're helping, and we'll do what you say, but you have to calm down! It's too early for two of you to be having a tantrum and a power trip," she said sternly and Santana calmed down. They got Marley cleaned up and then put her in the bath. Santana had stripped down quickly and got in before her, letting them put Marley in her lap. Santana stayed in her bra and panties, and Marley stayed in her bra. They knew she wasn't really paying attention, but they wanted to give her some sense of modesty, and Santana wasn't ready to start stripping completely in front of Kurt. Marley sat as still as possible, hiccuping and still freaking out when Kurt and Rachel left the room. Her cries and whimpers had only grown when Rachel returned with a pacifier and sat on the edge of the tub, looking down at Marley and Santana.

"Do not force her!"

"_WE_ don't believe in that, so stop barking at me. I agree, forcing her won't do any good, but she needs comfort and for some amount of seconds earlier, it worked, well we think it did, so we're going to get it to work again. Didn't you tell her, you were going to force her to do things, if we knew it was going to help her?" and Santana sighed. "This is just like that Santana, you have to force a little bit. You forcing her, did not cause this," Rachel said sweeping her arms in a circle to indicate the current circumstances. "Terri torturing her and her body still healing caused this," Rachel said waving her arms again and Marley flinched.

"Stop that, she doesn't like movements like that," Santana scolded.

Rachel sighed and got down next to the tub. "Do you trust me?" she asked Santana and with a cautious look, Santana nodded. "Look at me, I would never hurt your, excuse me _our_ baby," Rachel said and Santana gave a slight smile before nodding her consent. Rachel put her hand out and pet Marley's cheek and she started to squeal, trying to get away. "Look at Mama Rae, Marley, come on baby, focus in and look at me," she coaxed, using a sweet soft voice and waiting for Marley to come out of her head. Marley turned and Rachel very carefully and very gently kept her hand on Marley's cheek. Sensory was huge for Marley, because right now, that was all she had, and if Rachel could pull her out of her head by touch, then they could start on getting her to calm down.

The water was warm, but goosebumps were on her skin now and her teeth were starting to chatter, indicating she was cold. "Look at Mama my love," Rachel coaxed again. "Mama has her hand on your cheek, no one else. Mama is in front of you and Mommy is seated behind you, keeping you safe in her arms, because Mommy is very safe and loves her Marley very much," Rachel said and Marley let out a cry of pain.

"I'm not hurting her Santana," Rachel said quickly.

"I know, she's not focused, and that cry is good, she'll be with us soon," Santana said calmly, trying not to cry herself.

Rachel smiled at Santana and took her friend's hand and then focused back in on Marley, talking to her and trying to get her to focus in as well. "I know baby, shhh, you're okay. Mommy's right behind you and Mama is right in front of you, and Papa's here too, he's waiting for you on the couch, getting it all warm and snuggly for us," she said. Marley wasn't focused at all though, so Rachel went to a familiar go to when she saw Marley's chest, struggling to rise and fall. "There were nights when the wind was so cold, that my body froze in bed, if I just listened to it right outside the window, there were days when the wind was so cruel, that all my tears turned to dust, and I just knew my eyes were drying up for ever," Rachel sang. She kept the pace extra slow, making it sound more like a lullaby and eventually Marley started to come out of her stupor, feeling completely drained and beyond exhausted.

"Mama," she whimpered.

"There's my baby girl," Rachel smiled. "Mommy's holding you baby, and Mama's right here, it's my hand on your cheek. You are so safe, and we know you hurt, so we're going to get you and Mommy all dried up, and into clean clothes and then we're having a big sleepover party in the living room. Papa is setting it all up," she told her.

"Mommy!" Marley wailed, feeling embarrassed, and afraid.

"Mommy's here honey, it's okay," Santana said dropping little kisses to her temple and resting her chin on Marley's shoulder, wrapping her arms a little tighter around Marley's waist. "I think Mama has a good idea baby. We'll get you and Mommy dried and dressed and into bed, so we can sleep some more," Santana said.

"Marley honey, look at Mama please," Rachel told her gently and Marley pushed her body into Santana, but focused in on Rachel and Rachel smiled. "Listen to me very carefully baby, do you know what this is?" she asked holding up the pacifier for Marley to see and Marley nodded, tears immediately pouring down her cheeks. "Shhh, it's alright love, this isn't a scary thing. Do you remember how you and Mommy talked about this earlier. This isn't the scary thing. This is tiny and does nothing, but maybe give Marley some comfort, which she definitely looks like she could use right now," Rachel said kindly. Marley shook her head no and whimpered.

"Slow down Rachel," Santana cautioned and Rachel controlled her facial features, not wanting to upset Marley any further.

"Okay, baby, okay, but I want you to think about something my love. Did the pacifier hurt you or did what Terri do to it hurt you? Do you know the difference? I know you do, because you're a very smart girl, but I also know that you're very scared and probably very tired and probably still in pain," Rachel said and to everyone's surprise Marley reached out and wrapped her hand carefully around the pacifier. "Yes baby, this is your pacifier. This is your reward for being a super good girl. This is what Mommy got you to help you calm down. So I want to ask you one more time baby and listen very carefully," Rachel said, not letting Marley have it just yet. "Did the pacifier hurt you?" she asked gently shaking her hand that held it, "Or did Terri do bad things to you with a pacifier because she was a very mean lady who took advantage of her control," Rachel said holding up her other hand. Marley cried and carefully took Rachel's empty hand.

"That's right baby," Santana encouraged. "The pacifier didn't do anything. Terri was a bully. Terri made it scary for you, but it's not the scary thing, what Terri did to you with it, that was the scary thing," Santana said and Marley continued to cry and then tried to put the pacifier in her mouth, but it kept falling out because all she wanted to do was cry. It splashed into the water and Rachel quickly fished it out.

"To be safe, Mama will get you another one, and we'll sterilize this one," Rachel said kindly. "I will help you and Mommy out of the tub, you'll both get dried and dressed and we'll go all lay down with Papa. One big cuddle party, okay?" she asked her and Marley nodded, continuing to cry. Rachel put the wet pacifier on the sink ledge and carefully helped the girls out of the tub, wrapping Marley in a towel and keeping her safe. Santana wrapped herself up and took Marley back against her. Marely's head instantly found her shoulder and she gasped and hiccupped trying to get her breath back under control.

"Quick," Santana whispered to Rachel and picked up the pacifier, handing it to her so it could be sterilized. Rachel dashed out of the room and then back in giving Santana one of the other pacifiers. "Marley baby, look at Mommy," she told her. Marley pulled back and looked pitifully at Santana. "You're breath is very ragged baby, breathe with me. Once you're calm, you can try your pacifier. I promise you if it doesn't help, you don't have to use it, but Mama Rae is right. This isn't the bad thing. This is the tiny little thing that was only bad because the bully was controlling it," Santana said gently, surprised her brain could function at this ridiculous hour of the day.

Marley got her breathing under control rather quickly and then opened her mouth, waiting for Santana to give her the pacifier. "No my love, you can do it yourself. You have to be ready," she told her kindly and put it in her hand. Marley put it in her mouth and started to breathe quickly. "Shhh, suck on it baby. The more you suck, the easier it will be. There's nothing on that. Mommy is very sure," she told her. Marley sucked briefly and then stopped and looked to Santana. "That was good baby, keep going sweetheart," she said kindly and Marley looked confused, wanting to be closer to Santana, wanting to rest her head on Santana's shoulder but thinking it wasn't going to be welcomed. "My tired baby girl, you're alright, as soon as we dress, back to bed for everyone," Santana said kindly.

It took some doing but the two girls joined Rachel and Kurt in the living room and Marley still had the pacifier in her mouth. "Are you better now Marley? Do you still hurt? Papa can whip up a shake very quickly for you," Kurt offered her and Marley pushed herself into Santana's body as they sat down on the pile of blankets Kurt had gathered. Santana shifted the two of them, so that Marley was cuddled and cradled in her lap and Marley made herself very small, but didn't seem to relax. Santana took it a step further and pulled Marley even closer, keeping her cradled against her.

"A shake sounds like a good idea," Santana said and she very slowly began to rock back and forth with Marley, keeping her tight against her and then gently petting her face with her free hand. "My beautiful girl," she told her softly over and over again and Marley eventually let her head fall on Santana's shoulder, keeping the pacifier in her mouth. She whimpered and shook as the blender sounded, but soft soothing murmurs from Santana put a quick stop to it.

Kurt brought the shake over to Marley with a straw. "Chocolate, peanut butter, my love," he told her putting his finger under the pacifier ring and tugged gently. She let her mouth fall open and he took out the pacifier to put the straw into her mouth instead. She sucked softly on the straw and felt the chill of the shake flood her mouth and it tasted good. At this point, she knew she was safe, she knew the arms holding her, and she was absolutely exhausted. Her eyes remained closed. Santana had moved to brace her back against the couch and Rachel was at her side. She was the one kissing Marley's forehead at the moment and then went to petting her hair. After a few sips, Marley let go of the straw and let it fall from her mouth. "Such a good girl Marley," he praised and Marley's eyes began to grow heavier. She wanted to fight sleep. Sleep meant dreams, and dreams meant night mares. All her thinking caused her breathing to go ragged again.

Santana shifted Marley carefully and now Marley was chest to chest with Santana, their foreheads gently pressed together. "Close your eyes my love. Mommy has you, and she's not letting go. This is your pacifier," she said putting it in Marley's hand. "It's right here baby, it's in your hand, and you're in control, no one else controls the pacifier but Marley," Santana told her keeping her close. "Shhh breathe with Mommy," Santana said going through the breathing sequences she knew helped Marley. Once she was calmer, Santana adjusted Marley. She put her into a cradle position and Marley's head rested gently on Santana's shoulder. "My sweet baby girl, I am so proud of you. You're doing much better now, and you had some of your shake. Right now, you need to hang on to your pacifier, so that if you want to use it you can. We're also going to all lay down baby. Everyone. Mommy, Marley, Mama Rae and Papa," Santana told her gently and very carefully everyone laid down. "Mama's behind you baby. Papa's behind me. We're all safe and snuggled in together. We're just going to lie here and try to get some rest okay?" she said. Marley put her pacifier to her lips and seemed to think about it, almost looking for approval. Santana wanted to keep quiet but she knew she had to say something otherwise Marley was going to hesitate all over again. "If you want it baby, I want you to take it. You were sucking on it before and you started to get very sleepy, that's a good thing," Santana encouraged. Marley pushed it into her mouth and pressed her body into Santana.

"Sleep my dear family," Kurt said kissing everyone quickly and then lying down to go to sleep himself.

* * *

><p>It had been two weeks now and Marley had learned that her pacifiers actually helped her a great deal. Her mouth was healing beautifully and when April came for speech lessons, she would praise Marley about how well she was taking care of herself. She was doing better in physical therapy as well. She'd gained some strength in her arms and could now hold herself up, just over the small box that Joe kept under her belly for extra support. He also kept a soft matt beneath her hands and knees to avoid stress and pressure to those sensitive areas.<p>

Today, they were practicing her "swimming" techniques as Kurt called them and Marley was getting frustrated. It was very simple. She had to strengthen her back and her core more than anything else, so Joe would have her on all fours over a box. She was then to raise her right arm and left leg to shoulder and hip height respectively. Doing this also tested her balance, and even though the box was under her, she still thought she was going to fall off. She'd grunt and groan and look angrily at Joe and Kurt had to force himself not to laugh. The more time Marley spent with Santana, the more of her personality, she took on. As Marley worked with Joe and Kurt in the living room, Santana was seated at the kitchen table, going over emails on her laptop. A few clients had emailed her to design punishments and sessions for them at the club, and she was trying to come up with the proper response, but all she could think about was her little girl and how she had to protect and guard herself so she didn't do to her clients what was done to Marley.

With a very deep sigh, not liking that she had to do this at all, she composed a letter to Miss Beth.

"Dear Mistress,

I have two clients waiting for session design and three waiting for punishment. I can't do this. I think that I have spent too much time in "baby world" and I hate calling it that. Marley is doing well, but she's across from me now, going through physical therapy, and all I can think about it how I can't do to anyone what was done to her. I am doing my best to be strong and brave and put the client first, so I'm asking for help. Please help me get to back to being the Mistress my clients are waiting for.

Sincerely,

Santana."

She looked into the other room and frowned when she saw Marley starting to fight against Joe. She got up and walked across the apartment. "Marley, what's wrong?" she asked.

"No ike," she said sadly, frowning at her own lisp.

Santana knelt in front of her and pet her face gently. "The L's are coming baby, you have to be patient and why don't you like this?" Santana asked her and Kurt still marveled at her motherly tone.

"Faww down," Marley pouted at her.

"You fell down?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no. "You're afraid you're going to fall down?" Santana asked and Marley nodded. "Well baby, you might, I'm not going to lie, but I don't think Mr. Joe would let you fall down on purpose. Mommy would be very angry if he even thought about doing that to you," Santana said. "And Papa is here too, you know Papa loves you and wants you to succeed at your therapies," Santana explained. Marley nodded and tears sprang to her eyes. "You're doing well baby, it's okay to be scared," Santana assured her and stayed in front of her, petting her face and letting her have her little melt down.

Marley finished her melt down and then looked over at Joe. "Kay, I tie," she told Joe softly.

"Good girl," Santana praised. "You keep working with Papa and Mr. Joe. I have one more thing to take care of and then I will come back to you," she told her.

"Wh'eh Mama?" she asked.

"Mama is at an audition, she'll be home later tonight," Santana said and Marley looked to Kurt, needing him to stay close.

"I'm not going anywhere baby," he smiled at her, "I don't even have to work tonight," he said.

She gave him a smile and then reached for his hand. He moved in closer to her and let her hold his hand for a while, as she gathered her courage. Santana gave her a kiss to her temple and went back to her computer, feeling as though she needed to write a letter to Susan as well. Marley was improving and she thought the babysitting offer might be a good idea now, but it would have to be done slowly. Susan would have to be introduced little by little and Santana wanted to go over all of that before she agreed to anything.

Joe smiled and began to explain everything to Marley. "Okay Marley, so this is your support box right? Now we've been working on how to keep you up on all fours with the box, so the next step is to take the box away.

"No," Marley said.

"Do you want to learn to crawl with a box under your stomach all the time?" Joe asked and she nodded emphatically. That was fine with her. She wanted the extra support and nothing was going to change her mind. "I said taking it away was the next step but like everything else we've done so far, we've gone slowly haven't we? We do things little by little, because that is what gives you the most success, hasn't it?" Joe asked her and she pouted but nodded. "Well this is no different," he told her and held up a box that was three quarters the size of what she was on.

"NO!" she shouted at him.

"Marley Rose, one more outburst and you can sit in time out!" Santana called into her.

Marley frowned and looked to Kurt for help. "No baby. You heard Mommy. Time out if you have another outburst," Kurt said backing Santana up. He didn't like that Marley was testing her limits now. She wanted to get away with begin rude or greedy or lazy at times, but Santana had none of it. Not only had Santana introduced praise and reward, but now that communication was a much more verbal two way street, she also introduced punishments. Nothing was ever too much. Santana made Marley sit in time out for any amount of time, no longer than ten minutes and no less than two, depending on the "crime" that had been committed.

"No ike," she cried.

"Marley tell me what you like more, having your family help you walk around the house, or do you want to be able to eventually walk on your own?" Joe asked her.

"Papa," Marley whined at him. Kurt sighed and took pity on her. She'd been working for an hour now, and hadn't complained until just recently.

"Does she have any other exercises she can do today instead?" Kurt tried.

"KURT!" Santana yelled from the other room and he rolled his eyes.

He leaned into Marley and kissed her temple, whispering in her ear. "Mommy has gigantic ears," he whispered to her. "Stay here sweetheart, keep working," he said and left the room. "You bellowed?" he asked her taking a seat at the other side of the table.

"You can't undermine Joe in front of her. You can't make her think it's okay for her to not do an exercise he thinks she's ready for," Santana scolded, keeping her voice soft. "Why do you think I'm not in there?" she asked him.

"You're writing to your club. You told us that," he pointed out. She scowled at him and he sighed, putting his hands up in defense. "Alright, I'm sorry, but she looks so upset and so defeated, I just thought if we changed exercises, it might help her to be better able to handle the more difficult stuff," he said and she raised an eyebrow at him. "She worked and worked and worked, and got better, and I know she still has a long way to go and I know it's going to be tough for her, but I thought if we could show her what she couldn't do before and can do now, it might motivate her a little more," he explained further.

"That makes sense, and I'll talk to Joe, but he still gets to call the shots. And I'm out here, so I don't do what you just did!" she added softly and quickly.

"Big mush," Kurt laughed and he stood up and started to fix some tea for everyone as well as a shake for Marley.

In the other room, Marley was looking at Joe with anger in her eyes. She wanted to stop, she was tired and done. "Marley you're doing very well, if you just let me shift you a little bit, we'll work from the new height. It's no shorter in length or width. The box is the same size, just not as tall," Joe said.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Marley!" Santana warned from the other room and Marley rolled her eyes while Joe tried to conceal his laughter.

"I'm just progressing you Marley. If the box is shorter in height, then you can build more core strength when you press up and hold. Right now the box is doing most of the work and in the beginning that was fine, but I want you to do a little more of the work, so you can get better. Your core and your lower abs need to be stronger, that's what's going to help you learn to walk on your own," he said. "If you can push yourself up a little then I can switch out the boxes and you'll see it won't be so bad," he tried.

"MOMMY!" Marley cried out. She needed Santana and she didn't want to do what Joe had been telling her was coming next. She was tired and any more exercises, were just not in her game plan right now. Unfortunately for her, Joe had another hour with her and he was going to get her to do something, whether she liked it or not.

"Stop screaming love, I'm here," Santana said kindly.

"Done Mommy," Marley said.

"All done? Are you sure?" Santana asked. Marley nodded and Santana looked over at Joe who shook his head. "Marley, Mr. Joe says you're not done," Santana told her and Marley pouted.

"No, done Mommy," she said politely.

"You have an hour left baby," she told her.

"No, done Mommy, aww done," she said tears starting already. Santana knew a tired little girl when she saw one. She'd been learning well over the past couple of months.

"I will sit with you my sweet girl, and let you finish, but Mr. Joe has time left with you and you need to do as he says, so we get you better," Santana told her.

"No, faww down, no ay-ff, no ay-ff. No ike, no mo, aww done," Marley said having her tantrum and Santana sighed and looked at Joe, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted done most.

"If she can lay on her back we can work on lower core with bridges," he told her and she nodded.

"Come on love, let's get off the box and lay down on your back," Santana said.

"No, done Mommy, aww done," Marley complained and she started to cry softly.

"Alright baby, alright, come here," Santana said and she pulled Marley into her lap and cuddled her close. "I know you're tired baby, but you have an hour left. When you're all done, you get to tell Mommy what you want," Santana said, "but we have to complete the hour.

"No, done Mommy," she whimpered.

"You aren't my love, you have time left and you can sit here and fight me all you want, but when you're done fighting, you will still put in your hour," Santana told her and Marley started to cry. "I'll stay with you for that hour baby girl, but you have to do your exercises," Santana said and Marley cried against her for a little bit. "You let Mommy know when you're calm angel," she said.

It took some time, but Marley calmed down and Joe had her do her bridges. They were much harder than the very first time though. She used to just have to lift her hips. Now she had to squeeze a ball between her knees, lift her hips, keep the ball squeezed tight, and hold it for three full seconds and Joe wanted thirty repetitions of this exercise.

What should have been a two minute exercise took ten. Marley moved slower than most of Joe's patients, because she was still doing a lot of healing. His exercises were designed to help her and they definitely did, but due to all the physical damage Terri had caused, Marley just moved at a slower rate.

Joe let her have a five minute break and then asked her to do it again. "Nooo," Marley cried and she looked to Santana. "Mommy no, no mo, aww done," she cried.

"Shhh, calm down baby. I know you're in pain, I can see it, but this is a very different pain than you were used to. Mr. Joe isn't asking you to do this to be cruel. He doesn't want you to be in pain. His job is to get you better," Santana said, gently guiding Marley through the exercise as she explained to her what was going on. "Mr. Joe wants you to do these over and over so we get you better faster. Do you know what a strong core can do for you?" she asked and Marley whimpered and worked with Santana, doing some of the work herself, rather than letting Santana do it all for her. "A stronger core means no more tipping over to the left when you sit down, and pretty soon you'll know the difference between certain pains that you have. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can get out of your diapers," she told her and Marley seemed intrigued by that. The baby world was sometimes very fun, and very loving, but diapers were not what she wanted, she never had. Terri had forced it upon her and now she was stuck with them until she could retrain herself.

"You're doing great Marley, that was a great set. Take another five minutes and then just one more set and you'll be done for the day," Joe told her standing back and watching, taking notes when necessary, keeping count of each rep, and studying Marley's body to assess how she was progressing.

"Done Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"Almost my love, yes, almost all done," Santana told her.

She finished the last rep of her third set, in tears, and tried to crawl into Santana's lap, but she fell down on her way, flat on her belly and pain shot through to her feet. "Mommy," she cried. Santana gathered her close and nuzzled her gently. Marley's head immediately went to Santana's shoulder and she whimpered quietly.

"You're alright my love," she said gathering her closer. "Listen baby, Papa made a shake for you, and I have grilled turkey sandwich with spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes, in case you want more than just a shake," Santana told her.

"Done Mommy," she said softly.

"Oh my sweet girl," Santana said kindly. "Come on, one last move to the couch. You can eat and drink there," she told her. "Mommy will stand up and then we'll get you up and move you over, okay?" she asked Marley nodded, but whimpered. She didn't want to do anything.

Santana carefully moved her into other room and she let out a few cries along the way and Santana slowed down, so she could get her body under control. She sat her on the couch and Marley immediately leaned to her left and laid down, letting out a long yawn. "Mommy," she said tiredly.

"Yes baby?"

"Eh-ee," she said softly.

"Please," Santana coached. She made sure that Marley was polite.

"Pee," Marley said closing her eyes.

Santana smiled and nodded her approval before she went to get Teddy Bear, a warmer blanket since winter was coming in faster than they wanted, and just in case, one of the pacifiers so Marley could use it if she wanted it. She got her settled, stayed with her for a few moments and pet her face gently. "You can rest my sweet girl, but as soon as you wake up, I want you to eat something," Santana told her. Marley simply yawned and pushed her cheek gently into Santana's hand and started to drift off to sleep.

Santana stood up and walked into the kitchen, wrapping the sandwich in some foil and then put it in the fridge and when she turned around she saw Kurt staring at her. "What?" she asked him.

"You, that's what?" he said.

"What does that mean?" she asked trying to figure out what he was thinking. Before he could answer, her phone rang.

"You answer your phone, and I'll sit with Marley," Kurt said and sort of floated out of the kitchen and went to sit with Marley who was now curled up under her blanket, in a tight ball, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. "You're going to be in pain later my sweet girl," he said softly and quietly.

"This is Santana," she said answering her phone.

"Santana my love, it's Miss Beth, do you have a few moments or does Marley need your attention?" she asked.

"No, I have some time, thank you for calling me," she said.

"Of course my love. Now you have concerns, talk to me about them please," Beth requested. Santana babbled out her concerns, being sure to hit each point carefully and Beth smiled. "It's all very genuine my love, and I can understand that, but you have to remember two things. First of all, the people who come here want the pain and humiliation they ask for. It excites them, and gives them that warm fuzzy feeling, so to speak," Beth said. "The second thing is, I do know that you my love have been in quote unquote baby world for a good deal of time. I would never let you come back without doing a few training days, so you can have a refresher. Santana you are a wonderful Mistress, one of the best this club has ever seen, but even I don't come back from vacation without doing some refresher courses," Beth assured her.

"Thank you Miss," Santana said feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

"Is there anything else?"

"Miss Susan said she would help babysit, but I don't know how to even start with that. I think that I would like to just start with my refresher courses and have Kurt and Rachel stay with her. People she absolutely knows, and she's not ready to leave the house yet. She's still working on crawling," Santana said.

"You were the best thing that could have ever happened to this club and that little girl Santana and if you ever doubt that, I'm going to take you over my knee and give you something to remember every time you sit down," Beth told her eliciting a giggle from the young Mistress. "Perhaps I'll spank you anyway, I miss doing that," Beth said in a slightly seductive tone and Santana blushed. "You work it out with your room mates my love, then you call Nicole and tell her when you'll be joining for a refresher course," Beth said and after a quick, polite exchange, the two ladies disconnected.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone, **

**Happy Tuesday! I don't know why I feel like posting, but I do, so here you go. I hope you all enjoy your bonus chapter this week. :)**

**As always, major thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for all of their inspiration and support.**

**Warnings for this chapter: trust issues(that's going to be in every chapter pretty much for the rest of the story, so just be warned) & Marley gets a time out, which triggers some other things. There is some baby talk in this, but not enough to make any sense.**

**The squick factor in this chapter is actually zero, but just know that within the next four or so chapters, it's going to escalate to about a 10. I will give warnings.**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**Be well friends.**

* * *

><p>Santana went over to the couch, leaned over the back and smiled at her sleeping little girl, who had her teddy bear tucked close up against her and now had her head in Kurt's lap. "When did that happen?" she asked.<p>

"A minute ago. She struggled to sit up and then fell this way, put her head in my lap and is now sleeping again," he said softly. Santana nodded, pet Marley's face gently and smiled when Marley let out a happy contented sigh.

"So we have to talk now," she said to Kurt seriously.

"Not in your mistress voice," he told her.

"I'm not," she defended.

"You are. Continue," he told her kindly.

"I need you and or Rachel to babysit, while I start heading back to the club for sessions. She's getting better, and we're going to have to figure out what she wants to do, but for right now, I need to start getting back to work."

"Tired of being a stay at home Mommy?" he teased and she glared at him.

"Mocking my skills?" she asked him angrily.

"Oh relax," he sighed and looked at her. "It doesn't make you a bad person Santana. Parents need breaks and you are her parent. Maybe not biologically but you are her parent. More so than Rachel and I. It's okay," he told her.

"I need you to watch her, and you know as well as I do that sessions at the club can go as long as three hours and then there's prep and clean up. I can be gone all day," she said with concern.

"That's not what this is about though. This is about you getting your refreshers, while Marley improves here at home, and gets attached to more than just you. She asks for Rachel and I, and she obviously likes staying with us, but you are the one she wants all the time. It's going to be tough on both of you and wonderful for the two of you at the same time," he said.

"Why do you sound so smart all of a sudden?" she asked him curiously.

"Because, Papa bought a book, and when we deal with tantrums and night terrors and can't go back to sleep, Papa reads," he said smirking at her.

"Papa's a dork!" Santana said.

"You would be lost without me," he said with an air of confidence and to his surprise, Santana wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Yes," she said simply.

* * *

><p>Santana sat at her lap top going over emails, feeling better about designing punishments and scenarios for her clients. Once she finished composing everything, she put her lap top away, checked on Marley one more time, and then went into the other room to call Nicole. The soft click of the keys hadn't bothered Marley at all, but she'd worked so hard that she deserved the rest so Santana stepped out to give her peace. Kurt had left a while ago and was now in his room, on a phone call with his agent, going over audition schedules and work schedules, trying to get everything coordinated.<p>

Santana picked up her cell and hit speed dial five. "Eve's Garden," Nicole answered.

"Hello Nicole, this is Santana," she said.

"Miss Rivers! I'm so happy to hear from you. I hope we get to see you soon. I miss seeing you here," Nicole smiled and Santana grinned.

"I'm working on it, I promise," she said.

"Lovely, now, you didn't call to listen to me gush. How can I help you?" she asked putting on her professional demeanor again.

"I'm calling to set up refresher courses. I need to join in on one session within the next week. No scat, no blood play, start me simple. Maybe just a doctor's scene, or some food design? I haven't done that in a while," she said.

"I do have three food designs this week, but they all involve bondage as well," Nicole said.

"Why do they always do that? They always want food and something else," Santana said walking over to a laundry basket and folding up Marley's clothes. "Who are the sessions with?" she asked.

"Miss Mercy, Miss Rain, and Mr. Evans," Nicole said.

"Mercy, definitely Mercy, she makes them beg, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need to hear that," she said. "I need to hear them cry and beg, because, right now I associate crying with bad things," she said. "What are her scheduled sessions this week?" she asked.

"Easy ones, or whatever she has?" Nicole asked tapping keys on the computer to get it all correct information.

"An entire list, let's see what I can crash in on," Santana mused and Nicole started to read off the list.

"Tomorrow she has a hydro session for three hours. Tuesday is Electrostim for two hours. Wednesday she's off, and Thursday, she has the food design with bondage for two hours a small break and then another hydro session for only an hour this time."

"Oooh a newbie?" Santana asked excitedly. New people would be good. New people meant more business, but it also meant more begging and pleading and whining, for something that they didn't understand but were completely hot for. New meant noises she wouldn't want to hear, but had to get used to again. She had to learn to differentiate again. Right now whines meant tired and or scared. They used to mean, desire and slight trepidation. She had to learn to tell the difference again.

"Yes, a newbie, is that what you want to join?" she asked.

"Okay, check with Miss Mercy first. Make sure I can join both, but tell her I may only join one, I have to get a babysitter before I commit to both. The hydro session I can do for sure though. What times are they?"

"Food design starts at two pm and then the hydro session starts up at five thirty," Nicole said.

Santana did some math in her head and nodded. "Yes, the hydro session for sure, and I will let you know by tonight about the food design session," she said.

"Alright, I will tell her," Nicole smiled and just as they hung up there was a blood curdling scream heard in the other room. Marley was now awake.

Santana rushed in and Marley was sitting up, screaming at the top of her lungs, her breath going all haywire as she looked wildly around the room trying to figure out where she was and what was going on. She finally focused in on Santana who was now seated in front of her and threw herself at her. "Mommy," she wailed moving to her as best she could and holding on tight, crying heavily.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay," Santana soothed. Kurt simply pulled out Marley's shake from the fridge, set it on the table, gave them both a kiss to their temple and let them be together. Santana sat back on the couch and Marley stayed glued to her chest, whimpering and struggling to calm down. "Shhh, I'm right here baby, you're okay," she told her softly.

"Mommy," Marley said, her voice trembling so bad that Santana had to strain her ears to try and figure out what she was saying. It was only one word, over and over again. Marley needed her Mommy.

"Shhh, yes baby, it's Mommy," Santana said and Marley started to panic.

"No, no, baba," she started and Santana didn't understand what she was talking about. Marley was pressed tight to her, shaking, and so violently, she was stuttering; something Santana hadn't heard in her before. "Nnnnno, Bbbbbbb baba," she said tears falling down cheeks.

"Shhh, Marley, take a breath baby, listen to Mommy, and just breathe my love," Santana tried and Marley continued to shake and babble, so Santana let her be and grabbed the blanket she'd been sleeping with and wrapped it around her. "Marley, look baby, look here. Tell me sweetheart. What's this?" she asked pointing to the blanket. Rachel had picked out the blanket a few days ago when she heard that a cold snap was coming. Marley was still skin and bones, even though she was eating better. The blanket was made of a warm plush fabric, in a light blue color. It was baby enough, without being so baby, Marley would freak out. There were a variety of items on it. Ice cream cones, beach balls, umbrellas, something that looked like it could be butterflies, books, sunglasses, and drinks with twisty straws coming out of them. Rachel bought the blanket for two reasons. First, it kept Marley warm. Secondly, there were so many things on the blanket that they could get Marley to focus on, so she could practice her words.

"Look baby, look at your blanket. Let's look. What's this?" she asked her pointing to the ice cream cone as she kept her voice very soft and gentle.

"No, no baba, no Mommy, pee, no baba," she cried not even focusing in on the blanket, which usually was not a problem to get her to do.

"Okay, okay, shhh, no baba, I promise. I don't know what a baba is though sweetheart. That's a new word for you, so until I know what it is, I can't say yes or no, but right now, no. No baba, I promise," Santana said and Marley curled up tighter into herself, tucking her head under Santana's chin, putting her body into a painful position and whimpered softly, but didn't even care. She just needed to have Santana hold her, so she could be safe.

"Mommy," she said softly.

"Yes baby, Mommy's here," Santana assured her. Marley tucked herself tighter still and then let out a whimper of pain. "You're too tight baby, you have to relax a little. Mommy won't let go or leave you, but if you keep pulling in, you're going to have a muscle spasm," she said. "You also still haven't eaten. Let's see if we can get you to eat something please," Santana said.

"No baba, no baba," she cried.

"Shhh, no baby, I promise, you're okay. Let's call Papa and see if we can get some

food into you. He left your shake here, but I think you're going to need more, so let's get half your sandwich," she said. "Kurt!" she called and Marley set to crying and gripping Santana tightly.

"No baba, no baba," she said.

"No sweetheart, you're okay," Santana said and she looked up at Kurt. "I made her a turkey sandwish, can you get me half of it please?" she asked and Kurt looked down at Marley. Her fingers were tucked into the edge of Santana's top and her knuckles were white from the amount of pressure she had.

"It really amazes me, that none of our clothes are stretched out," he said with a little smile and went off to retrieve Marley's lunch, which was quickly becoming a very early dinner.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"I'm right here love, and Papa is going to get you something to eat and then we can play with your toys for a little while," she offered and Marley shook her head, her grip on Santana getting tighter.

Santana bit back her whimper because Marley had a death grip on her shoulder and her finger nails were digging into Santana's skin. Kurt returned with the sandwich and a small glass of milk to help wash it down. "Here sweetheart, you stay with Mommy, Papa will help you eat," he told her. "Tiny baby bites for me," he said picking up the sandwich and putting the tip of it to her lips. She whined and turned her head away. "Come on baby girl, you have to eat," Kurt said. He could see her legs starting to twitch. If she didn't start eating the spasms were going to show up any second. "Teeny tiny baby bites, sweetheart," he told her and he carefully ripped up a bit, and then fed it to her, sighing happily when she ate it. "There's my good girl," he told her. "Papa is very proud of you Marley," he told her.

He and Santana coaxed her to eat almost everything and then Kurt picked up her shake to help her with that. He put it to her lips and she took tiny sips. "Very good Marley, I'm very proud of you," Santana told her and kept her close, letting Marley rest. "Can you stretch out a little for me? I don't want you getting a spasm," she said kindly. Marley allowed Santana to shift her a little more and pressed into her side and started to drift off again. "No baba Mommy, pee, no baba," she cried tiredly, fighting sleep.

"No baby, no baba, I promise," Santana said looking around for Marley's pacifier. She didn't see it and Kurt kindly tapped her shoulder, shooting her a curious look. She made a fist and put it to her mouth and he nodded. He went into the bedroom, and picked up the pacifier that was on the night stand, spotting another one in the kitchen counter, that was waiting to be cleaned.

He placed it in Marley's hand and pet her face gently. "No baba Papa, pee, no baba," she whimpered, her eyes flickering open and closed.

"Shhh, no sweetheart, I promise," he told her and five minutes later, she was sleeping again. "What's a baba?" Kurt asked kindly.

"I have no idea, but we apparently don't want one," she said.

* * *

><p>Rachel was home now, and fixing dinner with Santana while Marley was fighting with Kurt. "Are you going to say something?" Rachel whispered softly as she chopped up some cucumbers.<p>

"I'm waiting for him to grow a pair," Santana said honestly and Rachel scowled at her. "No. I mean it. If the two of you babysit, you can't be afraid to put her in time out and mean it. She isn't to be rude, she knows that. I know she's tired, and so does Kurt, but there are still rules in place and she knows them," Santana said.

"No, Marley, you don't throw your blocks, you know better," Kurt told her kindly. "Now, try again, tell me what you want to say," he said.

"BABA!" she screamed at him and Santana let a beat of silence go by before she spoke up.

"Marley Rose!" she said sternly and Marley looked stunned. "Apologize to Papa now and then I will help you to the corner where you will stay for five minutes. You do not speak so rudely to Papa," she lectured.

"Mommy," she whined.

"Six minutes," Santana said firmly and tears sprang to Marley's eyes. "Quickly or I'll make it seven," Santana said seriously.

Marley hung her head and looked in Kurt's direction but stared at the floor instead of at him. "Aw-ry," she pouted.

"Marley, that was not a real apology," Santana warned.

"Mama!" Marley cried out wanting to get help from someone and have them on her side.

"No baby, Mommy gave you an order, you listen to her," Rachel called from the kitchen.

"That is how you act," Santana told Kurt, gesturing behind her toward Rachel. "You young lady, you come with Mommy," she said and she picked up Teddy Bear and brought Marley to the corner as carefully as possible. "Six minutes."

"F-eye," Marley whined.

"I can make it seven," Santana told her. "You yelled at Papa and you're back talking me. Both are not okay. Six minutes. Sit down," Santana said and she gave her Teddy Bear. She had her face the corner and Marley's breath started to go ragged immediately, panicking that she would not be able to see any of her family for six minutes. "Marley, look at Mommy," Santana said kindly. "You're safe in your house, that is why Teddy Bear sits with you, to remind you, but what you did is not okay. Sit here and think about why Mommy put you in time out," she lectured.

"No, Mommy day," she cried.

"No Marley. Mommy isn't staying. Six minutes, I will be back after that," she said and with a kiss to her forehead, Santana left and Marley started to cry.

"That is why I can't stand doing that to her," Kurt hissed once Santana had backed away and he was relatively sure Marley wouldn't be able to hear them hissing at each other. The only thing Marley could hear at the moment was the sound of her own breathing, growing more and more rapid with each passing second.

"Yes, but I set boundaries and you need to follow them. Strap on a pair," Santana scolded him, keeping her voice soft so she didn't rattle Marley, who was already on the verge of a panic attack.

"Santana," Rachel hissed and she pointed over to the corner where Marley was trembling violently and her back was rising and falling so fast, it looked like she was ready to throw up.

"Sing for her," Santana said quietly and Rachel started to sing again for her, knowing that Marley had heard her sing the song before. Rachel wanted to be sure that Marley had enough surrounding her that she knew, so she didn't get so scared. "When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I can offer you a warm embrace, to make you feel my love," she sang.

Six minutes seemed to crawl by and Santana didn't let Rachel sing for the whole time. She only let her sing twice, just to keep Marley focused. The six minutes finished and Santana walked over to the corner and knelt down on Marley's side. "Marley," she said kindly.

"Mommy," she cried.

"I'm right here honey, you're okay. Breathe for me," she coached. Marley got her breathing under control relatively quickly and then looked at Santana. "Did you think about why you had a time out?" she asked her and Marley nodded. "Good girl, why?"

"Cuff I 'ed at Papa," she told her.

"Yes, you yelled at Papa, anything else?"

"An' Mommy," she said softly.

"Very good my love. Now, I will help you up, we will go wash up for dinner, and then you will apologize to Papa for yelling at him," she told her and Marley nodded, hanging her head and looking pitiful.

"Ah-wee Mommy," she told her.

"Thank you baby," Santana said and she wrapped her in a tight hug and helped her to the bathroom, and while they washed their hands and helped Marley clean up her face, she watched Marley start to panic. "Shhh, I'm right here baby, and I can see how scared you are, so tell me what's wrong," she coaxed.

"No baba, no baba," she whimpered quietly.

Santana sighed and pulled Marley close, hugging her tightly and rubbing her back gently. "Baby, none of us know what a baba is, so you don't have to worry about it. If you choose to tell us what it is, that will help, but we don't know what it is," Santana told her and Marley let out a whine of frustration. She didn't know why they didn't know and she didn't know how to explain it without having a hysterical flashback. "Shhh. Nothing bad is going to happen, this is the same as any other time out in this house. I put you there to think about what you did wrong. You will apologize and then that's it. It's all over, clean slate, and we just carry on with our lives. I promise you there is nothing else coming and you have no reason to be so scared right now," she told her.

Marley nodded, but Santana knew she wasn't convinced. She helped her into the other room and Kurt immediately wrapped Marley in a hug. "My sweet girl, I love you so much, and I'm sorry that I made you so frustrated," he told her and she burst into tears, hugging him tightly.

"Nice Kurt," Rachel laughed softly to herself.

"What did I do now?" he asked Santana with panic in his eyes.

"Nothing," Santana sighed. "You didn't do anything, she's just over tired, and overwhelmed, and still trying to figure things out. Marley baby, say your apology to Papa as well," Santana said kindly and let them be. They needed the time together.

"Ah-wee Papa," she said sadly.

"Thank you baby girl. I accept and now, let's go eat, because Mama Rae cooked up dinner, and it smells really good," he said. "And don't tell Mommy I know this, but she eats like a truck driver, so we better go sit down, so she doesn't eat it all on us," he teased and Marley managed a genuine smile. "I love that smile Marley," he told her and the little family sat down to dinner.

* * *

><p>After dinner was finished, Rachel suggested that Marley go watch a movie with her on the couch while Santana and Kurt cleaned up. Marley shook her head no wanting to help her family but sleep was taking over her body again and she let out a tired whimper and Santana smiled. "Marley, what if Mama Rae, helps you get ready for bed. Bath time, okay?" she asked kindly, but everyone knew it wasn't a question.<p>

Rachel stood up and gathered Marley close, rubbing her back and seconds after Marley's head was on her shoulder and she had a death grip on Rachel's shoulders.

"No baba, Mama," she cried and Rachel pouted.

"No my love, I promise. Just a bath. You love bath time," Rachel told her and Marley continued to hold on and shake as Rachel guided her.

"Mama, owie," she said.

"Should we go sit on the potty?"

"Owie, ummy," she said putting her hand gently on her belly.

"Okay, how about we go to the bathroom. You can sit on the potty and Mama will rub your belly, very gently. It might help," Rachel suggested and with a moment of thought Marley nodded and they went off.

"I gotta find out what she's on about. She hasn't been so adamant against anything so far, and I can tell her that it won't happen all I want, but I don't know what it is," Santana sighed once they were in the other room and the door was closed.

"What about your job?" he asked.

"Yeah, I still have to bring up babysitting," she sighed.

"No, I meant what about the people at your job," Kurt said. "Some of those people have been doing this job for years, so maybe they know what Marley's so upset about. The only thing I can think of is a bottle, but she smiles and giggles whenever we show her one. She's not afraid of those," Kurt said.

"Well what do you know, Lady Hummel, pays attention."

"Someone should tell your boss that you're a brat," Kurt laughed shaking his head.

"I still have to bring up babysitting. Marley's gonna flip, and I don't know how to handle it. I can't lie to her. When I was a kid, I would ask where my parents went and they always told me they'd gone to the store. Then I used to get pissed because they'd never bought me anything and if I tell her the truth," Santana said trailing off.

"Remember earlier? Remember when I mentioned I was reading a lot?" he asked and Santana eyed him carefully. "Remember how I mentioned that? Maybe I know more than you think. Maybe I know how to help you. Maybe you shouldn't be such a brat and instead you should ask me for help," Kurt said.

"Maybe I just spank you instead," Santana laughed.

"Maybe I tell you nothing then," Kurt said and Santana splashed some dirty dishwater on him. He recoiled in mock horror, and seemed to ignore her, but then turned on the water and got her with the sprayer attached to the sink. The two were laughing happily with each other when Rachel and Marley finally emerged from the bathroom. "I think Mommy and Papa have lost their minds," Rachel said kindly taking note of the situation before them. "What do you say baby? Did they go crazy?" Rachel asked.

"Hey baby girl, did you have a good bath?" Santana asked from her spot on the floor, looking happily at Rachel and Marley.

"Mommy," Marley said softly, reaching toward her as best she could while Rachel supported her.

Santana pushed herself to her feet and went to Marley's side, giving her a kiss. "I love you baby girl,' she told her. "Mommy's turn to get ready for bed though. Will you sit with Mama Rae a little longer and then as soon as I come out, Papa will choose a movie and we can all have ice cream okay?" she asked and Marley agreed.

It took another hour for everyone to be totally settled, but eventually, everyone was curled up in some position on the couch, with ice cream, while Kurt put the movie on. He'd chosen Practical Magic for them that night and turned around to sit on the couch, wishing he could take a picture. Rachel was tucked into the left corner of the couch and Marley had her back resting against Rachel's chest while Santana sat in front of her, feeding her ice cream. Marley looked exhausted and she had no problem, laying still for Santana and Rachel, not moving a muscle, besides the ones in her jaw to open her mouth, take the small bit of ice cream and swallow. It was just a very tender moment, and Marley looked happy. It was a scene he saw a lot recently, but he knew it would end quickly like every other time. When Marley had major breakthroughs, she would be good for about an hour and then she'd regress. If she was in, what she deemed, a stressful situation, she'd regress tremendously, becoming that terrified girl, they'd met at the hospital. Santana leaving her for hours at a time, definitely counted as stressful.

Marley and Santana fell asleep first and Kurt looked at Rachel. "Did you hear about babysitting?" he asked.

"Yeah, Santana talked to me while you were fighting with our baby," she teased looking down at a peaceful looking Marley and pet her hair gently.

"Nervous?" Kurt asked.

"Absolutely," Rachel admitted. "But I stand by what I said. Santana wanted a challenge, and she got it. The problem is, now the challenge is to go back to work, and I don't like that. Santana is good at her job, it needs to stay that way," she said strongly, "and I see her freaking out. She's afraid of her job now," Rachel said softly.

"You just don't want to pay rent next month," Kurt teased. "I'm going to bed," he told her and gave her a kiss to her forehead and then one to Marley and even Santana.

"I'll come pester you for details later," Santana said tiredly. Kurt nodded and walked to his room, allowing the three girls to have some bonding time on the couch.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone,**

**Guess what, you get another bonus chapter this week, because it's my friend's birthday weekend and I know that they are potentially down about some things going on their life at the moment. **

**As always, squick factor warnings for this chapter, minor, I'll give it a four on a scale of 10. Forced anal penetration.**

**Some baby talk explanation. I took a course in college about language. The way the tongue sits in your mouth, is very crucial in pronouncing certain letters and combinations of letters. If you never understand something Marley is saying, PM me or leave it in a review and I will gladly explain. A guest reviewer of this story - Kali - asked what F-eye meant. Marley was given a time out of six minutes, she only wanted five, and while she could say the F sound, the V sound, in her condition, is still painful for her.**

**That being said, some of you have guessed at what BABA means, and some of you have given me your insight as to what it might mean. So far, the guesses are wrong, and the insight is close, but you haven't guessed it yet. Marley has said the word pee several times. Please, is what she's trying to say, but L's and S's and Z sounds are not easy for her, so she just eliminates those sounds.**

**Last but not least, major thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for all their inspirations.**

**Wishing you all the best!**

* * *

><p>The next morning Marley woke up in a panic. "No, no, no!" she shrieked and Santana quickly pulled her close. "No, no, no, no baba," she cried and the tears started immediately and Santana began speaking.<p>

"Marley. Do you hear Mommy? Can you hear Mommy Santana?" she asked her keeping her close, rocking her a little bit, and petting her hair.

"No baba," she cried, tears running down her cheeks.

"Shhh," Santana said and she pulled Marley tight and guided Marley's head to her shoulder, so she could find something familiar in her current state. She was definitely not all here, somehow stuck in her head still. She picked up her cell phone and called over to the club.

"Eve's Garden," Nicole answered.

"Nicole, thank goodness. It's Santana. I need to talk to Miss Susan immediately if possible," she said.

"You have great timing, hold on," Nicole said.

Santana heard the music for a few seconds before Susan answered. "Santana my love, how are you?" she asked her.

"I need help," Santana said and Marley let out an ear piercing scream. "Marley baby please," Santana said and she shifted them both a little bit. "She keeps screaming about a baba and how she doesn't want one, and I tell her I won't give one to her, but I don't know what she's talking about, so I feel like I'm lying," she said honestly.

"Calm down Santana. Just breathe for a moment. Once you're calm, it'll help her calm down too. Give it a few minutes and then we'll go over it again," Susan said kindly. It took five minutes of silence but then there was calm and quiet and Susan smiled. "Now, again, tell me what it is she doesn't want."

"She keeps sayin A," Santana said spelling the word rather than saying it.

"Have you tried bottles? Maybe just showing her a picture?"

"Yes, but she thinks those are funny. We can't figure out what is funny about them, but she's okay with those, so it's not that."

"Alright, well then you have to think about the meaning of it. Bottles put things into people, so you have to think about things that go in," Susan explained.

"Okay, thank you Miss," Santana said and a few moments later, the two of them hung up and Marley let out another scream of pain and anguish.

* * *

><p>All the screaming had woke Rachel and she went out to see if she could help. She knelt next to Marley and pet her hair. "Shhh, Mommy's got you Marley, and Mama Rae is right here," she said on a yawn and continued to pet and stroke Marley's hair and face, hoping to help in some small way.<p>

"No baba, no baba," she cried and Rachel felt her heart break.

"I wish we knew what that was," Rachel said.

"I wish that too," Santana said. "I called over to the club and spoke to Miss Susan. I am now to think about what it means, because it's not about an actual bottle. Those are funny for some reason, but what she's afraid of, apparently has a meaning, so I have to figure out the whole meaning thing," Santana said.

"Yay help," Rachel said softly and Santana rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't as much as I wanted," she admitted. Marley's eyes fluttered closed as sleep started to take over her body again and then she screamed in pain and Rachel quickly moved to her calf, so that she didn't knee Santana in the crotch as her calf went into spasm, forcing her leg to jerk upward. Rachel got a tight hold and massaged her carefully until her cramp relaxed and Rachel sighed. "How about a banana?" she asked, mainly directing it at Santana.

"How about oatmeal for breakfast instead," Santana said. "I don't want to repeat foods too many times for her. I went over the report for the millionth time. Terri was rare to mix up food," she explained.

"With brown sugar and strawberries for taste," Rachel smiled and she got up to fix breakfast. Santana smiled at her and then leant back on the couch, having Marley rest on top of her, and Marley simply cried.

"Oh, we are having a very bad day. I'm so sorry baby," she told her and Marley let out a squeal of pain and put a death grip on Santana's shirt, the fabric oozing through the small spaces between her fingers, and Santana did her best to sooth her, but nothing seemed to be working. "Come on, we sit up and maybe Mama Rae will feed you," she said and Marley tried to curl further into Santana's body. "Shhh, easy my love, very easy, because your muscles are very sore and tense and lacking nutrients. Mama Rae is making you oatmeal and we'll help you eat it and then no more pain, I promise baby, okay?" Santana said and she cuddled Marley close, but Marley didn't say anything any more. She just went back to blinking or nodding.

Rachel came over and sat on the coffee table. "Alright sweetheart, it's not hot, I promise. See, look here. No steam. Mama Rae would never give you anything that would hurt you," she told her. "Tiny bites baby," Rachel told her kindly and fed her a small spoonful of oatmeal with brown sugar and a tiny piece of a strawberry, so that it wasn't so bitter. Marley ate and after a few bites, she was done and turned away from Rachel and into Santana, hiding her face from the world and crying softly.

"No baba, no baba," she cried.

Rachel sighed and took a big spoonful of oatmeal for herself and then offered a spoonful to Santana who gratefully accepted. "It's going to be a long day," Santana said.

* * *

><p>Marley woke up a few hours later and looked around, not seeing Santana. Instead of being calm like normal, she immediately panicked. "Mommy," she cried softly, and she laid there crying, not bothering to sit up or look around. She scolded herself while she laid there. They probably left her because she kept telling them no. She was going to just lay there forever, she couldn't say much, she couldn't move without assistance, and now she was all alone, not even in a hospital. The teddy bear that Santana had bought was near her and she heard voices in the other room, but it sounded wrong. None of them sounded like voices she knew. Tears were cascading down her face now and she sniffled a few times and brushed away her own tears.<p>

The soft noise had gotten Santana's attention and she moved to the doorway to check on Marley, who she thought was sleeping. "Hey baby girl," she smiled. Marley didn't say anything, she just looked terrified. Santana sighed and got down on the floor and sighed. "You're having a bad day, aren't you honey?" she asked her and Marley blinked twice, purposefully lying. Santana kept a neutral face and laid down on the floor so she was in a mirrored position. "Okay, I'm sorry. My mistake," she told her and she reached her hand out.

"I'm going to tell you a little story okay?" she asked and Marley blinked once. Santana smiled and started her story. "When I first came to New York, I was really scared. I knew Mama Rae, and I knew Papa, so I knew some people, but other than that, it was all a big mess, and a lot of times, I had to act really really brave, even though inside I was shaking because I was really really scared. Do you know that Mommy gets scared?" she asked her and Marley blinked twice. "Then that makes Mommy a very good actress, because Mommy has been scared a lot lately," she said and she waited for a response, but didn't get one. "Mommy is afraid for her baby girl Marley. She's afraid for big girl Marley too," she said. "When I first met you, I needed to make sure that you were taken care of and it scared me to know I wouldn't be with you at all times, to be extra sure that my little girl would be cared for, because from the first moment I read about you, I knew for sure you were, you are, my little girl," she said.

Marley's tears started to flow faster and she started to shake a bit, even under her blanket. She didn't know why Santana was claiming her as her little girl. "Shhh, take a breath, you're okay," she assured her. "See, this is what scares Mommy so much. Baby Marley and Big Girl Marley are the same person, but they don't do the same thing. My big girl has to fight and be super strong all the time, and my baby girl just wants things to be easy and simple and not so scary. Big girl Marley had a lot of things taken away from her by a bully and she needs to rest. Big girl Marley has to go away and not do anything. She wants to rest. She has to rest and then Baby girl Marley come out and be with us for a little while, but it's scary to do that. It seems very scary and so I think that because she's so scared Big girl Marley went away to hide. I also think that she didn't tell Baby Marley she was going to do that. So now my big girl is scared and my baby girl is scared too," Santana suggested. I think my baby girl has to fight so much harder than she wants to. I think she wants to though," Santana ventured. "I think my baby girl is very frustrated too because she's been working so hard, and she just wants to rest and be a sweet baby girl for a while. Does that sound right?" Santana asked and Marley forced her eyes open wide. If she blinked, she would be admitting something. It would hurt to admit it. She would be letting someone down. Santana however, remained very patient.

"Marley baby, it's okay to be scared and it's okay to tell me that you need a true break and that you want to be a baby girl for a while and not work so hard. It's okay to want to play with your toys, and take naps, and watch movies all day, and not want to do physical therapy with Mr. Joe or speech therapy with Miss April. It's okay to not want to do anything other than let Mommy, or Mama Rae, or Papa take care of you," she said and Marley continued to cry harder. "You know what Mommy thinks? Mommy thinks that her baby girl needs to be catered to today. Mommy thinks that she needs to hold her baby girl and reassure her that Mommy isn't leaving and that baby Marley and big girl Marley are going to be in this house, with us, for as long as they choose to be. You never have to worry about being alone and if you feel alone I want you to call for someone, because someone will be around for you, do you think you can remember that?" Marley blinked once and Santana gave her a smile.

"Can Mommy change you?" she asked her and Marley blinked. Santana felt relief flood through her but she moved slowly. She rolled Marley to her back, and changed her carefully. The blisters and sores were gone now, but Marley still had pain all over her bottom. The emotional abuse was still with her and any little touch brought a round of fresh tears. "I love my baby girl so much and I know she is so scared, but it's okay my love. I am right here and we always go slow. You hold Teddy Bear and as soon as you're all changed, Mommy will hold you," she told her.

Rachel found them fifteen minutes later and smiled. "Hey there baby girl," she smiled taking a seat in front of them. "Did you have a nice nap this morning?" she asked her and Marley didn't answer, she sunk further into Santana and Rachel frowned. "I'm sorry baby," she told her. "Little kisses and then I'll let you and Mommy sit together okay?" she asked her and Rachel stood up to leave and Marley started bawling, reaching for Rachel, afraid she would leave them forever. "That's new," Rachel said freezing in her spot, not sure of what to do first as they both watched in stunned silence at Marley's open mouth wailing.

"Shhh, you're okay baby. Mama Rae didn't leave yet, it's okay," Santana said kindly and Rachel sat back down.

"Marley baby, you're okay. I haven't left. I don't have to leave honey. It's up to you," she said sitting back down in front of them and Marley just cried.

"She can't cry herself to sleep again," Santana sighed.

"Maybe we all go play with the piano and give her something nice to focus on," Rachel suggested and Santana agreed. "Have you given any more thought to what Miss Susan told you earlier?" she asked quietly as they helped Marley to stand up.

"Not even a tiny idea," Santana responded just as softly.

* * *

><p>The three girls were seated on the couch and Rachel looked at Santana. "What was your little discussion about in their before I showed up?" Rachel asked her, carefully playing with Marley's hair, kissing the top of her head as Marley rested between them.<p>

Santana took a deep breath, she didn't want to do this, but somewhere deep down, she thought it would help. "Mommy Santana was talking to Big Girl Marley, and Baby Girl Marley and Mommy explained that it's okay to want to be a baby girl today. It's okay to want to let Mama Rae, and Mommy Santana take care of baby girl Marley," Santana said.

"I think that's a good idea," Rachel smiled. "Tell me sweetheart, what would Marley like to do?" Rachel asked and Marley got tense. "Shhh, it's alright sweetheart. Did you know that Marley can tell us anything she wants?" she asked her kindly. "It's true, she can. Marley can say anything she wants," Rachel said keeping her voice calm and gentle and Santana took the welcome break. "For example," Rachel said gently. "Marley could say she wants her piano and Mommy and Mama and Marley can play some music, or Marley could say she wants her pacifier, or her blanket, or a movie, or food, or anything she wants. Anything that our sweet baby girl wants to tell us, we want to hear," Rachel said.

Marley seemed to think about that for a moment and then looked to Santana with terribly sat eyes. "Mommy?"

"What's up baby girl?" she asked.

"Mommy, no baba," she cried and she tried to put herself up in Santana's lap and cried out sadly and tiredly.

Santana frowned and pulled her baby girl into her arms, cradling her as if she were only a very small infant. "Shhh, you're okay baby, Mommy's right here," she told her. "You know what, I think Mama Rae had a good idea. How about we get blanket and Teddy Bear, and a pacifier and just sit like this for a while," Santana said.

Rachel didn't even wait for Santana to ask her to do something, she just grabbed the items and returned. She put Teddy Bear in Marley's arms, covered her with her blanket, and put the pacifier in her hands. "Marley is in charge of this sweetheart. No one else," Rachel told her. "No one gets to put this in Marley's mouth, but Marley," Rachel told her.

Marley thought about it for a minute, put the pacifier in her mouth and turned carefully onto her side, hiding her face in Santana's chest, knowing that her Mommy had her. "My sweet baby girl," Santana said gently as she pet her hair. "Mommy loves you so much she can't possibly express it correctly."

* * *

><p>Three days later, Marley was at least calm. They hadn't forced her to do anything over the past three days. Santana cancelled all her therapy sessions. Marley very slowly went from baby girl to toddler over the three days and by day three, she was her bright, smiley self. She was talking to Santana in broken sentences, and laughing when she saw something funny. Her new favorite game was Simon. Kurt had bought it for her the day before.<p>

_"Look baby, Papa has a new toy for you," he smiled at her and pulled it out of the bag to show her. She looked at it curiously and then held on to Santana as Kurt took it out of the package and put in the batteries. "See sweetheart, it's lights and sound," Kurt smiled. "Look, let's push start and see what happens," he told her gently and she nodded but rested against Santana._

_"You have to watch lovely," Santana told her, helping her turn a little bit so she could see. Kurt pressed the start button and it beeped a sound and flashed a green light. Kurt pressed the green button and it made the same beep. Then it beeped the green button twice, so Kurt pressed it twice. This happened for a good twenty seconds before it finally gave Kurt a pattern that he didn't quite remember and the machine made a buzzing sound, which Marley found hysterical, but seemed afraid to laugh._

_"It's farts?" Santana asked, a smile spreading across her face._

_"It didn't fart!" Kurt said, pouting at Santana's teasing._

_"I heard it," Santana said seriously pointing to it, and then turned to Marley, who had her pacifier in her mouth. "Marley baby, did you hear the machine fart?" she asked her._

_"It didn't fart, it raspberried," Kurt said. "Watch," he told her and pressed the start button . When it flashed the red light, he pressed blue and the machine made the same noise._

_"That was a fart!" Santana stated._

_"Raspberry," Kurt protested. Meanwhile, Marley tapped Santana's shoulder and reached her hand out toward the machine. _

_"You want to make it fart too?" Santana asked with a smile. _

_"It's not a fart," Kurt said rolling his eyes._

_"Go on baby, you can play with it. We'll play together for a little bit and then Mommy has to go make a phone call okay?" she asked her and Marley nodded her agreement. After some time, Santana gave her a kiss to her temple and went to make her phone call._

_"Come on my love, Papa will sit with you and we'll play with the toy some more," Kurt told her._

Santana was currently in the shower and Rachel was helping Marley eat her snack now that she was done playing her Simon toy. "It's hummus and crackers baby."

"Ed," Marley said softly pointing to the hummus.

"Yes, it's roasted red pepper humus," Rachel told her. "Here, would you like to read the ingredients? I can get you the box to read it to you," she said. Marley shook her head no and carefully reached for a cracker, her hand very steady and then she tried to scoop up some humus, but was having difficulty. "I will help you if you want it sweetheart," Rachel offered and Marley thought for a moment before putting her hand in Rachel's.

"H'ep Mama," she agreed and Rachel nodded. She guided Marley's hand and the cracker toward the humus, helped her scoop some up and very carefully guided it to her mouth.

"You did great Marley! A few more attempts with help and you'll be able to do it yourself. I'm so proud of you!" Rachel praised and that was the time Santana emerged from the shower.

"You two look happy."

"Mommy, ed," Marley said pointing to the humus.

"What happened to your R's?" she asked kindly.

"Rrrr" Marley said and Santana and Rachel smiled at her little growl.

"Can you say red?" Santana coached.

"Ed," she said in carefully, and then frowned.

"Miss April says it will come back soon. You just have to practice some more sweetheart, and you're doing very well. I am very proud of you," she told her.

"I am too lovely," Rachel said and helped her get some more humus onto a cracker.

"Ed, ummy," Marley told Santana.

"I know, that's Papa's favorite flavor, we end up with a lot of it. Do you like it?" she asked. Marley nodded and then carefully grabbed another cracker and tried to feed Santana. Santana ate it happily and then gave Marley a kiss. "Thank you baby," she smiled. "So, once you finish your snack, we need to talk about what we're going to do tomorrow, because therapy is back on, which if you will remember was your decision," she said.

"I 'eady," Marley said seriously.

"I'm very glad baby girl," she told her and gave her another kiss, before going to get dressed. "Those lights were the best thing Kurt ever purchased," Santana told Rachel softly while Marley concentrated on eating some more.

* * *

><p>After her snack, Santana gathered her courage. This was it. She was going to have to leave her baby girl for a few hours. Granted Marley would be with Rachel and Kurt, but it was still very difficult. She was leaving a still unsure pet to go experience time a new and different unsure pet. It was very daunting and though she would never admit it, she was nervous.<p>

"Okay sweet girl, let's sit and talk okay?" she asked and Marley nodded. "You know how you're doing so well, and healing, and how Mommy is very proud of you?" she asked and Marley nodded, suddenly unsure of what was about to be said. "Well Mommy has to improve now too, and that means Mommy has to start going back to work," she said.

"I go?" Marley asked, tears immediately springing to her eyes. This was it, she was about to be disowned and left for herself because she was too much trouble, meanwhile she still couldn't crawl or walk by herself so she had to be with someone. She needed care to a certain level. She didn't know how to change herself, and she was still in diapers.

"No my sweet girl. You have to stay at home while Mommy goes to work," she said and immediately Marley started to cry. They really were going to leave her.

"I good, I good, Mommy day!" she pleaded, tears pouring down her face. "I good, I good," she repeated and Santana watched in frozen horror and Marley tried to stand up and move. Her body wasn't ready though, so her attempt to stand and show Santana how much of a big girl she was, and how much trouble she wouldn't be, she fell down on her stomach, her legs twisting underneath her and she screamed in pain, but quickly tried to stop, unsuccessfully.

_"Nothing but a worthless little piece of shit!" Terri screamed as she picked up a wooden paddle and brought it down sharply on Marley's diapered bottom. The diaper however had been used and that was why she was getting this spanking in the first place._

Santana quickly pulled her little girl into her lap, wrapped her arms around her and held her tight. "Shhh, shhh, shhh, Mommy's got you baby. Mommy Santana has baby girl Marley nice and close, because Mommy Santana loves her baby girl so much. Marley is my baby and only leaves when she wants to," she explained.

"No! I good, Mommy day! Mommy!" Marley cried and she continued crying, shaking with fear as Santana held her. She pulled her little girl a little bit closer, and put her pacifier in her hand. "For you when you're ready Marley," she told her and kept her close.

Rachel had been in the shower during this whole time, but when she came out, she heard screams of terror and her heart broke. She wanted to rush out and help Santana but there was nothing she could do to help, so she just stood at the door and listened

"You are a very good girl Marley. You most definitely are. Here's your pacifier, and you only use it if you want to," she said feeling how tense Marley was. "Calm down baby, you're okay. I'm not leaving you, I just have to go to work."

"No, I good!" Marley cried, shaking so hard, that she coughed and gagged twice.

"You are Marley, you are a very good girl," Santana assured her and immediately Marley put her head on Santana's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her neck, gripping as tight as she could, which wasn't that tight at all, but Santana could feel her effort. "Mommy Santana's very best baby girl," Santana said softly, trying to have some sort of calming effect on her. Eventually Marley was calm and a little bit of a hot mess in Santana's lap. "Marley my love, you are Mommy's best girl," she told her. "But I want you to listen to me very carefully and understand what I'm saying. This is like everything else, we go slow, so that I know, you understand. You squeeze Mommy's hand when you're ready," she told her gently, kissing her temple and rocking her a little bit, side to side to help calm her further.

"Mommy," she said softly.

"Yes baby?"

"Eye," she said, holding up her hand and opening and closing her fingers, signing the word light, as best she could.

"I can get your light game, we can play together, but you're still going to have to tell me when you're ready to hear the explanation of what is happening tomorrow. I don't want to leave you unprepared," Santana told her and Marley nodded. If she waited, and never told Santana, she was ready, then Santana would never leave, she was convinced of this.

"As soon as Mama Rae comes out to join us, I will ask her to get the light game we can play," Santana assured her. They sat cuddled for fifteen minutes and then Rachel finally emerged, dressed, and smiling. "Hey, can you bring Simon over here?" she asked.

"Sure, do I get to play too?" Rachel smiled.

"What do you say love, should we let Mama Rae play too?" Santana asked and Marley nodded and relaxed a great deal. It was like she'd never had a melt down moments ago. Santana was relieved about this, because maybe it would make the impending conversation easier.

"Mama," Marley said softly. "Mama g'een an eh'whoa, kay?" she asked Rachel kindly.

"Yes baby, Mama Rae will be green and yellow, are you going to be red and blue?" she asked and Marley nodded. "What color is Mommy going to be?" Rachel asked kindly, trying to figure out where Marley's brain was.

"Mommy owe me, eye," she said pulling Santana's arms tighter around her body, then she leaned a bit to the side, turned her head and kissed Santana's cheek.

"Mommy would love to hold her baby girl as tight as possible and as much as she can," Santana said kindly and returned the kiss, noticing how young Marley was acting. She was also seemingly feeling safe and she tried to work this out while Rachel and Marley played the game.

"Where's Kurt?" Rachel asked, not looking up from the game while directing her question straight at Santana.

"He went on an audition," she said and then fell quiet again, watching Marley and Rachel play. She was trying to figure out why Marley was so calm all of a sudden. She was glad she was, but something wasn't adding up and finally it dawned on her so Santana cleared her throat and stared at Rachel for a few seconds trying to bore a hole into her friend, in order to get her attention. Finally Rachel looked up and her smile fell. Something was either very wrong, or about to go down.

Santana shook her head no and then took a deep breath. "Mama Rae, would you like to spend some special one on one time with Marley tomorrow?" she asked.

"I would love to," Rachel smiled.

"That's really good to hear, because tomorrow Mommy has to go," Santana started.

"Mommy! H'ep!" Marley yelled interrupting. She wasn't ready for to discuss anything. She wanted to play and not talk about it. She didn't want Santana to leave her.

"Shhh, indoor voices please," Santana scolded gently, gave her a kiss and helped her press the right button and fell quiet and Rachel looked at her with raised eyebrows. Santana shook her head and smiled kindly.

"You were saying," Rachel said.

"Oh I was saying that Mommy has to go," Santana started again.

"MOMMY!" Marley shrieked grabbing Santana's hand and pressing it down on the green button.

"Marley, no yelling," Santana scolded her.

"Mommy, g'een, mommy p'ay," she said.

"Okay, Mommy will play, but no yelling," she told her kindly and kissed her cheek gently when Marley blushed. Rachel and Santana had a silent conversation. Rachel would go to open her mouth to say something, but Santana would shake her head no. She had to find the right time to do it. Marley had to be very relaxed and right now she wasn't. Finally Marley calmed and Santana nodded at Rachel

"So what were you trying to say?" Rachel questioned kindly.

"I have to go to work," Santana said and Marley froze. It was her turn, she paused for too long and the game made the raspberry sound and Marley turned to Santana.

"No, I good, I good, Mommy day!" she pleaded tears burning her eyes, but she fought them. She had to prove that she was a good girl, and not any trouble at all.

"Marley Rose, you are a very good girl and I love you very much, that is not why I'm leaving," she said.

"Mommy day!" she pleaded.

"Shhh, calm down, listen to Mommy," Santana said shifting them a little bit and Marley put a death grip on Santana, resting her head on Santana's shoulder, crying and pleading for her Mommy not to leave her.

Rachel got up, went into her room, pulled out her iPad and returned, scooting in next to Santana, so Marley could stay cuddled and still see if Rachel asked her to. "What's the address?" she asked.

"For what?"

"For the club."

"You're going to terrify her?" Santana practically barked, making Marley shriek.

"Stop growling, and no I'm not. I'm going to show her where you're going, in relation to where we are."

"Because..."

"You are the one who keeps saying that you want things explained to her. That you want her to fully understand everything. Well this is part of that, so what's the address?" Rachel asked strongly and for a split second Marley stopped crying and looked at Rachel. There was something fiercely protective in her voice and Marley was both surprised and happy about what she heard.

Rachel put the address in and pulled up a little map that indicated how far away the club was from the apartment. "Hey baby," Rachel said kindly and she waited for Marley to focus and noted that her breathing was starting to go ragged. "I just want to show you a little picture, but maybe I give you your pacifier first, in case you want it," she said. Marley opened her mouth, afraid to even let go of Santana for even a second, but Rachel shook her head and smiled. "No my sweet girl. This has never changed and will never change. The only person in charge of Marley's pacifier is Marley," she told her and put it in her hand.

Marley trembled but gripped it in her fist while keeping herself glued to Santana and Santana could tell she wanted the pacifier. "I'm not leaving right now baby. I'm not leaving for work until tomorrow afternoon. If you let go of me to use your pacifier I will still be here," she assured her and Marley waited, moving very cautiously and the three girls sat in the room, not moving forward until Marley was ready.

"Mama," Marley said softly.

"What's up baby?" she asked her.

"Mommy day, I good," she said.

"First of all my darling girl, I do not appreciate the guilt trip and I'm sure Mommy doesn't either," Rachel said kindly, keeping her voice gentle, but it still had a tone that Marley understood it was a warning. "Secondly, you are our very best girl Marley. That's not why Mommy's leaving and she's only going to be gone for a little while. She has to go to work. She has to make money, so that we can continue to live here and while she's gone you and Mama Rae will just have some dinner, and maybe some ice cream, and watch a movie," she explained.

"I good," Marley whimpered and gripped even tighter to Santana.

"The best," Rachel told her gently and carefully went to pet Marley's face. "You're a very good girl Marley and Mommy isn't leaving for long, and she's not leaving because you were not a good girl. She just has to go to work," Rachel told her gently, sitting next to Santana and bumping her forehead gently to Marley's. It was a safe space that gave Marley a type of consistent comfort.

"Marley baby," Santana said gently. "Are you scared you were bad?" she asked and Marley shook her head. "Are you sure, because you keep telling me you're a good girl and that you want me to stay."

"I good," Marley whimpered.

"You are baby, you are a very good girl. Can you tell me what you are afraid of?" she asked.

"Mommy day," she pleaded.

"I'm not going anywhere right now sweetheart, I promise," Santana told her and she felt Marley's hand grip tighter around her neck and her finger twisting around a lock of Santana's hair. "But Mama is right, I do have to go to work, so that's what we have to prepare you for. I would have started preparing you sooner, but I didn't want to pull you too far out of your comfort zone. You my love, have worked very hard and needed a break, and for you that meant being a very young girl." Marley whimpered and closed her eyes.

"I good Ana, I good," she said.

"Ana?" Rachel asked with confusion.

"Shhh, Marley baby, look at me sweetheart. Santana, Mommy Santana, loves you no matter what. You are a very good girl. You've worked very hard and made amazing progress, this is just another step in that progress and I will not leave you alone. That is why Mama Rachel wanted to show you the map. We want you to know what is going to happen, give you the time line and make sure you are aware of as much as possible, because we love you so much," Santana explained. "You can call me Santana if you want to sweetheart, but you can call me Mommy too. It's your choice, okay?" she asked her gently.

"Mommy," Marley cried and she cried herself to sleep against Santana's body, trembling and shaking as her mind flooded her dreams with horrible memories of her past.

_"See sweet cheeks, no one is ever going to want you. You're not worth anything. You can't move, you can't walk, you can't talk. You're nothing but a helpless little baby, and no one wants a baby they can't hold, and rock, and cuddle, and love. You're not lovable. You never were," Terri told her, keeping her eyes blind folded, a knees pressed back to her shoulders, a strong bar across her ribs and something was being pushed in and out of her tight little pucker, repeatedly. "Pretty soon, you won't be able to hold anything except a very large dick. I'm going to make sure that you're only able to take in the largest of every dick out there. From now on, you'll only eat, sleep, and fuck. Doesn't that sound fun?" Terri cooed as she shoved the plug deep into Marley's ass, making the girl scream and she jumped in her sleep, screaming quietly._

"No Baba," she cried, tears pouring down her face as she gripped tight to Santana.

"Shhh, you're okay Marley, you're Mommy's good girl, a very good, brave, strong girl Marley, and I'm so proud of you," Santana said kindly and Marley started to rest again. She cried herself to sleep ten minutes later. She was warm and clammy, her head resting tiredly on Santana's shoulder, her grip still death like, even in sleep.

"First of all, who is Ana, secondly have we figured out what a Baba is yet?" Rachel asked.

"I'm Ana, I think, and no we don't know what a baba is, but she still doesn't want one," Santana said and Rachel sighed.

"You're not Ana, you're Mommy," Rachel said.

"And right now, she isn't comfortable with that, because she's upset about something that she is having a great deal of difficulty communicating. So until she decides otherwise, I'm Ana," Santana said.

"I wish I could do more for her," Rachel said.

"We're doing what we can," Santana smiled at her.

"Okay, well what am I going to do tomorrow when you're gone, and she freaks out, and you aren't here, and I don't know what to do?" Rachel asked.

"You will figure it out, just like I've figured it out, along the way, and if you absolutely have to you can call the club and I can come home. I'm not actually performing the session, it's just a refresher course. Like a rehearsal," she said.

"You can't just leave a rehearsal," Rachel pouted.

"Hey, look at me," Santana said kindly, but seriously. "If I didn't think she was in good hands, I wouldn't leave. If I didn't think you could handle this, I wouldn't have set this up, it's why I asked you before I committed. And if you repeat this, I will kill you, but you're the first choice over Lady Hummel."

"Why is that?" Rachel asked raising an eyebrow.

"Because unlike Lady Hummel, when she gets out of hand, and she most likely will, you will put her in time out," Santana explained and Rachel frowned. "Berry, I mean it!" Santana said strongly. "She can not think that because I'm not here, my rules don't exist. She wanted to be a little girl, and now she's my little girl, and my little girl will have rules, to follow and if she doesn't, time out," Santana said.

"She's going to be too busy, hyperventilating and crying for her Mommy, but I promise, to put her in time out, if she misbehaves," Rachel said.


	13. Chapter 13

**Happy Sunday Everyone!**

**I want to say thank you for the kind words in reviews and PM's that have been sent to me. They are absolutely appreciated. As always special thanks to Nayafan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. I don't think I've said that yet. I ran a test chapter by them, to see what they thought and was told that yes I should post it. It's still very frightening to me sometimes, but now that I'm this many chapters in I kind of have to finish the story, :)**

**Warnings: Squick factor is 8 - 10 depending on the type of person you are. There is a scene at the club where Santana works. There is a rather intimate description of what happened to Marley and what is currently happening to the client, so you've been warned. Huge anal play section, let's just phrase it that way.**

**There is also texting in the chapter, and that is listed as bold and italicized text.**

**If you haven't reviewed PLEASE do so for this chapter, because this was the one I was most nervous to post up till this point.**

**Thanks for your time - Happy Sunday!**

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><p>The next day had been very trying for everyone. Santana purposefully did not ask Rachel or Kurt for help with anything. She knew that Marley trusted them, but she had to spend as much time with Marley as she could so that she could reassure her that she would be back later that evening.<p>

From the moment Marley woke up, she'd been crying. "No go Ana, no go," she pleaded.

"Marley my love, you don't have to be a big girl if you don't want to. You can be baby Marley, or little girl Marley, or whatever you want to be, and Santana will always support you," she said kindly. If she was being honest, she would have told Marley she missed being called Mommy, but from day one, Santana told her she could call her whatever was easier for her. She wasn't sure if she had changed because she was scared, or because she thought growing up would make Santana stay home. Either way, she was wrong, Santana had to go back to work, the longer she waited the worse it would be.

"Ah, mmm, Mommy," Marley stammered, not sure what to call Santana anymore, her entire body trembling.

Santana sighed and picked up her pacifier and put it in Marley's hand. "This is for you, if you feel it will help relax you. I want you to just breathe with me, so you can talk to me when you want to," she said kindly and pet Marley's face to help her focus and breathe. After a minute, Marley was calm.

"Ana, I good," Marley said small tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Marley you are very good and I'm not leaving forever, I'm only going to work for a little while. You will not be left alone. You're going to be with Kurt and Rachel, just like we promised. I told you a long time ago that I would never leave you with people you didn't know, and that I will always protect you and come back for you," Santana told her and then pulled her in for a hug. "Marley, I love you, no matter what."

"Mommy," Marley said softly and cuddled into the hug, glad to be in a familiar position.

"Now, let's sit down and go over details so you know exactly what is going to be happening today okay?" she asked. Marley nodded and gripped Santana tighter. She just wanted to know that she wasn't being left alone. They'd said it a million times by now, but she still didn't believe them. She needed to know it was true and she just couldn't bring herself to accept it.

* * *

><p>It was three thirty and Marley had decided she felt safer being much younger than usual. She was probably around age two if Santana was guessing correctly. Her pacifier had been in her mouth since she finished lunch, and she only took it out to take a drink, and that was only when she was strongly encouraged to do so.<p>

Santana was currently in the shower and Rachel was sitting with Marley on the couch. "I love cuddling with my sweet girl," Rachel told her and Marley snuggled in closer carefully putting Rachel's hand on her belly, to encourage her to rub it. "Marley honey, do you want to look at Santana's book one more time? Do you think we should? I want you to know for sure what's going to happen tonight. Are you ready for that?" Rachel asked gently rubbing her belly and Marley sucked harder on her pacifier. "When you're ready sweetheart," Rachel assured her.

Marley nodded a few moments later and Rachel pulled out the note pad and a little clock that Santana had bought, to help Marley understand a little better. "Who's in the shower my love?" Rachel asked her gently.

"Mumma," Marley said around her pacifier.

"Okay, so Mommy is going to go to leave for work at four thirty, to be there at what time, do you remember?" she asked.

"Eye," Marley said holding up five fingers.

"Oh so sweet, and oh so smart. I'm very proud of you Marley," Rachel praised. "Now, when Mommy gets to work at five, she is going to be there for two hours, which means she will finish work at what time?"

"En'en," Marley told her tears running down her face. She didn't want Santana to leave. She was convinced that she wouldn't come back and that terrified her.

"Correct, and then as long as the trains run on time, Mommy will be back home at nine o'clock at the very latest. Sometimes the trains and the buses are very slow and take extra time," Rachel explained, which was the same thing Santana had explained four times the day before and twice in the morning. Rachel was trying her hardest to be consistent.

Santana was now out of the shower and went into her bedroom, listening to Rachel speak and Marley babble. She liked that Marley sounded better with things. They'd been constant and consistent, and it seemed to be working, which was a great relief to Santana. She was more nervous about leaving Marley than she cared to admit. She stepped out of the bedroom in a pair of hunter green sweats and a black tank top. Beneath that, was an outfit she didn't think Marley was ready to see yet. Marley viewed her as a true mother. The person who took care of her, made sure she was well taken care of, and was setting examples. She didn't think Marley should see the black lace corset and fishnet stockings underneath at the moment. She stepped into the living room and smiled. "Hi," she said kindly and softly.

"Mumma!" Marley smiled around her pacifier and reached for her carefully.

Santana moved in front of her and pulled her little girl into her arms. "There's my lovely Marley. Are you and Mama Rae going over the time schedule again?" she asked. She nodded and hugged Santana tighter. "I'm glad. I want you to be very well prepared, so I'm glad we wrote this out together," Santana told her and then she rubbed Marley's back and Marley tensed up. Santana smiled and lowered her voice, whispering in her ear. "Should Mommy change you?" she asked and Marley nodded, blushing hotly. "Okay, let's find Teddy Bear and get my sweet girl all clean again," she told her lovingly.

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><p>With several last kisses, two tight hugs, and one quick story, Santana left for the club. She got onto the bus and tried not to think about anything at all, but seated across from her was a woman with her two little children, and both were excitedly telling her all about their day at school and after care. She listened intently to the mother speaking ot her children and Santana smiled. She would have said a few of those same things to Marley if she had been speaking with that much animation and energy. She pulled her coat a little tighter around her body and then got off at her stop, going up to the agency, where Nicole promptly stood up and gave her a bone crushing hug. "My God, I've missed you," Nicole told her and Santana let out a little giggle, hugging her tightly in return.<p>

"I missed you too Nicole," she smiled and finally Nicole relinquished the hug and went to the front desk, sat down and smiled, handing Santana the client's chart.

"Miss Mercy is going to be back from break shortly. She went to the starbucks around the corner to get some teas and coffees for the office. "She told me to call her if you decide you want anything special, otherwise you get your triple mint, venti latte, with extra whip," Nicole smiled. Santana raised both eyebrows and a smile crossed her face.

"Buttering you up, are we?" Beth asked teasingly from behind her. Santana turned and gave the woman a tight hug. "I've missed you here my girl," Beth said rubbing her back gently and giving her gentle smacks to her bottom. "I can see you're nervous, was it hard to leave?"

"Incredibly. She was in tears when I left but Rachel said she'd call the club if she wasn't calm in an hour."

"An hour Miss Rivers? That seems a little too long to me," Beth commented.

"It does seem like a long time, but we've learned that she's learned how to control her breathing and after an hour she'll either pass out or hyperventilate. I should be getting a text soon to inform me of what's going on," she explained and the phone to the club rang. Santana practically jumped out of her skin. "Eve's Garden," she said. "Yes she is, hold on please," Nicole said and turned to the two women behind her.

"It's for you Miss Rivers, it's Miss Mercy," she said and then Santana's phone buzzed. She checked it and breathed a sigh of relief.

**_"She's laughing and smiling, have a good session ~ R"_**

"Hello?" Santana asked picking up the phone.

"Well well well, Miss Rivers, it's wonderful to finally hear from you."

"You as well Miss Mercy, will you kindly get your ass back here. I want my coffee," Santana said smirking and Beth shook her head and gave her a firm smack to her bottom.

"Fresh!" Beth scolded.

"Getting into trouble already?" Miss Mercy teased.

"It's entirely your fault. Do you need help? I'll come down and help you bring all the coffee up," Santana offered.

"No, no, I'm nearly there, I just wanted to make sure you were there and in your proper headspace. Nearly everything has been prepped so you just have to sit in, but I am concerned for you. I make them beg, you know that, and you've heard a lot of cries lately from what I've been told."

"I have, but it's why I chose you. I need to learn the difference again and I know it exists," she said.

"Alright then, I will see you soon," she said and the two disconnected.

* * *

><p>Miss Mercy was a tall woman, flowing red hair, long muscular legs, and today she was dressed in a tight red corset that had little roses up and down the side. Her real name was Danielle Travers, and she lived uptown in an upper east side apartment that had a view of Central Park.<p>

"Tana, you're freaking out, breathe," Danielle smiled.

"It's the first time back, and truth be told, I miss my little girl and while I know that I have a text stating she's fine, I'm concerned that she's freaking out worse than I am, and I'm not being told so I can stay here and get back to work."

"Well I know how hard that is for you to admit how nervous you are, but just remember, it's only a refresher course, you don't have to stay, and they named me Miss Mercy for a reason. He is going to beg."

"Ugh, a he? Really? Why do all the boys go for hydro sessions? I don't understand that. They get all up in arms when we want to stick something into their ass, but heaven forbid we tell them, you're not putting that in me. Then they call us cowards," Santana ranted as Danielle ran scalding hot water into a rather large red enema bag.

"Hand me that thermometer please," she said reaching for the bag's stopper herself and trying not to laugh too loudly at Santana's rant. Santana handed her the thermometer and she put it in the water and waited a few second. "That seems good. I'm not doing this till the end, it'll be warm by then," Danielle said, thinking out loud, more than talking to anyone specific.

Santana was quiet for a while and then looked at Danielle. "You're not going to go easy because of me are you?" she asked her.

"What does that mean?" Danielle asked her.

"I mean you're not going to go light on him, because I'm here. You're known for making them need to scream, and I need to hear screaming. I need to know the difference again, because I don't now. You can't go light Dani, not even a little bit, I mean it," Santana said.

"Are you trying to pull rank?" Danielle asked hearing a sternness in Santana's voice.

"No, I'm just telling you don't go light."

"Sounds like an order to me, and you better be careful about that, because if I think you are ordering me around, or you are trying to pull rank on me, which you can't, then I will go straight to Miss Beth, and you my darling girl, will be the one screaming," Danielle said and she punctuated her statement with a kiss to Santana's lips. "God I miss kissing you," she said when the kiss finally broke.

"Pervert," Santana smiled, gave Danielle a simple kiss, in return, and the girls went to finish setting up the room.

Danielle walked into the large room and dimmed the lighting a little bit. The walls were mostly maroon in color, with a large mirror on the far wall, white curtains around the fake windows, a large medical bed off to the left of the door, and then an IV Pole just to the right of the bed. Danielle hung the enema bag on the pole and turned to look at Santana. "You, my dear girl, need to change," she said and went to the closet and began rooting through the clothes. "Here," she said pulling out a nurse's outfit. "Put this on," she said handing it to her.

Santana looked at the outfit and carefully shimmied into it. "What, no cap?" she asked teasingly.

"Coming up next," Danielle said with a serious face and hid her laughter as Santana's jaw dropped in shock. She had been teasing, but Danielle was apparently completely seriously. "So, while you get dressed, I'm going to give you a background. Jackson is coming in today. He, is a very wealthy wall street broker, who is finally married to his partner of sixteen years, and it appears that hubby, is a very big boy," she said with a little smile.

"So, what, he's here to be," Santana said slowly, not sure how to finish that sentence.

"Cleaned out and stretched," Danielle smiled. "This is his description of what he wants," she said handing Santana a paper.

"Dear Miss Mercy,

My name is Jackson Clemens and I'm writing to you, because I've been told you were the best Mistress the club has. My husband is very endowed. He and I have been together for sixteen years, but I've never been able to submit to him as fully as he can submit to me and I no longer feel it fair that after so long together, I can't let him penetrate me more than an inch or two at most. When I heard about your club, I thought you might be able to help. My main concern is to be able to submit to him fully. They told me not to hold back in this letter. I want him to put his rock hard dick inside me, so he gets to experience the same pleasures I do, when he submits to me. The most I can take is a finger, or sometimes two. I'm not afraid of him, but to let him inside me, I am not able to handle that, and for that reason alone I have chosen to come to your club. I'm hoping that with time and effort, you will be able to help me submit to my husband, so that I can reciprocate his actions towards me. He does know I'm doing this. I have discussed this at length with him and I want to make it quite clear that I am doing this of my own free will. I don't want you to think he's forcing me. I look forward to you getting back in touch with me when you have free time.

Sincerely,

Jackson Clemens.

"That's intense," Santana said looking up at Danielle.

"It is. He's going to scream, I'm going to make him. I have a list of what I can and can't touch and the can't list is very short. No fisting and no teasing," Danielle said.

"That's it? That's your no list?"

"That's it," Dani grinned.

"So you're going to make sure that he screams right? Because based on this letter, he's not going to like this," she said.

"Yes, I am, and yes he will, and yes you are correct. I will make him scream. What I need you to do, Miss Rivers, is be sure to sit quietly in the corner. If he gets to a point where his cries remind you too much of your little girl, then I want you to just get up and quietly step out of the room," Danielle explained.

"Okay," Santana agreed and she took a deep breath.

"You ready?" Danielle asked.

"Almost, by the time you get back, I'll be ready," Santana said seriously.

* * *

><p>Danielle met Jackson up in the lobby and smiled at him. "Jackson, come with me please," she told him. He stood up nervously, adjusted his tie and jacket, brushed out the invisible wrinkles in his pant legs and then held his hand out to Danielle to shake it.<p>

"I'm Miss Mercy and from now on, that is all you're going to refer to me as," she informed him seriously. "You have been told that there will be another mistress in the room. Miss Rivers is not going to be involved in your session, she will simply watch. You're going to be kind and respectful to her and if you are rude in any way, I will punish you, spank you, as we discussed in our previous conversations and as you experienced in your last session," she said sternly.

He gulped and nodded and with a smile she took him back to the room. She took him into the back room and guided him to the bed. "Say hello to Miss Rivers," she ordered him.

"Hello," he said politely.

"Miss Rivers," Danielle said scolding Jackson for dropping the title.

"I'm sorry, hello Miss Rivers," he said this time and Santana simply nodded at him.

Once pleasantries were exchanged, Danielle took his hand and guided him to the bed. "Sit down," she said and he did as asked while she got on a pair for blue rubber gloves and placed her hands on his thighs. Santana sat off in the corner, not really paying too close attention to what was going on around her. Her nerves were starting to take over, so she tried to do some breathing of her own, and she was pulled out of her thoughts when Jackson let out a little whimper.

"Close your eyes Jackson," she told him sternly and he listened. "I want you to take a deep breath and think only of your husband and no one else. I want you to see him in front of you, smiling at you, touching you, loving you," she said and Jackson nodded, but after a few moments, he opened his eyes. "Ah, ah, ah, what did I tell you?" she scolded him and he pouted. "I even gave you a homework assignment, so that you would be able to keep your eyes closed when requested. Did you now practice?" she asked sternly.

"I'm sorry Miss, I did practice. I was not successful, but I did practice. I just can't do it. I want to see what's going on."

"Oh, I see, you want, do you?" she asked.

"Yes Miss."

"Well, today, you don't get to do what you want. Today you are going to learn what it's like to do for others. I have tricks to help me, and I will use them when need be. First though, I want that ass bare and over the table, quickly," she said walking away to grab a tube from a far away drawer before going back to him. When she returned he was bent over the table, bare ass in the air, waiting for further instruction. "You followed those instructions well," she praised, rubbing his bare bottom while she spoke. "Now, we're going to give you a mild spanking to take care of you from earlier. Do you know what you did to earn this?" she asked.

"I didn't please you Miss," he said automatically and he sounded genuine.

"That was very good, but I'm speaking of specifics," she said landing a firm smack to his bottom, making him squeak. That squeak brought Santana out of her thoughts and into the present. She watched as Danielle brought her hand down sharply on his backside three more times. "Now," Danielle said sternly. "You my dear boy are going to get a blindfold placed over your eyes. I want you to think about your husband and only your husband and listen to my voice as I explain to you how we're going to go about get you to be a little more open," she said seriously.

Santana watched as Danielle moved easily throughout the room, speaking kindly and calmly to Jackson and her heart hurt a little bit. She knew that she had done that and continued to do that for Marley, but she hurt because she was sure Terri had never treated Marley this kindly. Here was this man, a gay man, trusting this complete stranger, a woman, to make him cry. It was a huge risk. She was having trouble dealing with that trust now, even though she'd explained to Marley that in the club, trust was a key factor and greatly respected. When it came to Terri, Santana was pretty sure, Terri didn't know what the word trust meant.

While Santana was lost in her thoughts, Danielle had stripped him of his pants and underwear and had him flat on his back, running her hands carefully, teasingly, up and down his thighs in order to excite him. "That's right Jackson, you just think about how much your husband is smiling at you, because he's so happy you're about to submit to him, fully, with everything you have. You give total control of your tight ass to him, the way he does to you," she crooned gently and Santana watched with a smile as Jackson's body responded.

"Ooooh, big boy," Danielle crooned sweetly as she caressed his body, making his body spring to life. "Tell me Jackson. Why did you come to see Miss Mercy?" she asked him with a smile.

"I need to submit to my husband," he said panting as she pushed a finger slowly around his opening. It was small and tight, and she noticed that the skin was very delicate and slightly cracked and dry. She gathered more lubricant that had a little more moisturizer in it and worked that into him.

"And you don't?" she asked him.

"I can't, I'm ta.. to..oooo ti, eye, eye, tight," he admitted a heavy blush creeping across his cheeks as he stammered to push out the words while his

"I see and you think Miss Mercy can help you?"

"I was told you were the best Miss," he said panting a bit as she spread some of the cold gel onto his tight little pucker, making sure he was fully greased up.

"And so it appears that your husband has sent you hear to be stretched," Danielle said.

"No Miss! No. No, I promise!" Jackson cried, panting and begging almost as he tried to communicate the truth, to ensure to Miss Mercy that he wasn't lying.

"Me thinks though doth protest too much," Danielle smiled and Santana smiled in the back in the corner, not saying anything. She became lost in her thoughts, in her memory of all the terrible descriptions in the blue folder that she'd read the first day she met Marley, and most recently over the last few days.

She'd been in the session, mindlessly thinking for about an hour when all of a sudden, Miss Mercy was getting Jackson to beg and plead, wanting the enema, not wanting it, enjoying the feeling of having a thick plug inside his ass, and also fearing it's size and the amount of "damage" it would do to his body.

"Ah, ah, ah, you must relax my dear boy. Relax your body, and just open. Open your muscles, breathe and let your husband in," Mercy coaxed.

"No, no Miss, Please! He's too big. It's too much. I'm not as big as he is," Jackson cried, feeling his erection grow painfully hard.

"I think Miss Mercy is going to spank Jackson for lying," she said gripping her hand lightly around his now fully erect cock, being sure to have a good grip on the base. "You are not tiny, and having this," she said tapping the plug lightly, "in here, is not going to hurt you, as long as you breathe and relax, and open wide," Danielle said seductively and Jackson started to have a small orgasm. Danielle didn't even bat an eye. "Now, are you going to relax and open wide for me?" she asked. "You need to take all of this water. You need to take it all, and hold it in for a minute or two, so that you will be nice and clean and ready for your husband," Danielle said and Santana watched.

Santana frowned when she saw her cell phone glow in her pocket. She looked over at Danielle and waited for an acknowledgement that it was okay to check. "Relax and open wide," she cooed softly at the poor man, lying on the table, knees tied up to his chest, plug in his ass, as warm water flowed slowly into him. His body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and the look on his face was a mix of fear and desire and pretty soon, he was just making sounds of whining and begging. Danielle glanced toward Santana, nodded at her when Santana held up her phone, and Santana covered her phone to block out any potential glow that would get through the blindfold Jackson was wearing.

**_"She doesn't want to open wide for a baba," _**Rachel had texted so Santana quickly tapped back a message.

**_"She can't say all those words."_**

**_"She did just now, but only as part of her dream. She just woke up screaming."_**

**_"Keep her calm, I'll try to get out early, the session is nearly done,"_** she texted back and before she hit send Danielle's words made it through the fog of her brain.

"Open wide and relax Jackson. Let all the water in. Time to clean you out, make you nice and ready for your husband," Danielle cooed and in that moment, Santana's brain exploded with realization while Jackson's body exploded with an orgasm.

Santana left the room as calmly as she could and then fell to the floor, crumpled up in a small heap and sobbed. It was how Beth found her moments later. "I knew you weren't as ready as you made us believe," Beth sighed as she helped Santana to stand brought her into the office.

* * *

><p>"Miss Susan, I need to talk to her. Please," Santana begged, reaching for some tissues to clean up her face.<p>

"First you tell me why," Beth said seriously, sitting next to Santana taking her hand.

"She's been at it for three days now," she said and she calmly stood up and started pacing. "Three days. Three days. For three days my baby, my little girl, that innocent young lady, she was tortured," Santana ranted and Beth let her be for a moment, only breaking in when Santana paused to take a breath and wipe away her tears.

"Why do you need Miss Susan sweetheart? What is she going to be able to help you with," Beth asked.

"She's been crying and hysterical for three days and we didn't know why. We had no idea how to help, and I came back. I came back to learn the difference and instead I found out what has been torturing my little girl," Santana said, the tears falling slowly as she continued to babble.

_Marley was lying on some surface. It was firm beneath her but she didn't know exactly what it was. The blindfold was in her way. Her hands were pinned next to her side. Cuffed and shackled into a 'secure' position so Terri could change the diaper that Marley had been wearing for two hours now. "Well well well, what do we have here?" Terri said in that sick sweet voice that gave Marley shivers, once she unfolded the front of the diaper. She looked in the diaper and saw small traces of brown. So far Marley had been able to use the toilet to relieve her bowels, but apparently she'd had been left alone for too long and her body had tried to relieve itself, but Marley held it in. Unfortunately for Marley, when Terri checked the seat of the diaper, she saw the brown stains and decided to go one step further._

_"I"m sure it's nothing, but let's be sure," Terri said and Marley felt her blood run cold. She didn't know what was going to come next. Terri slipped a heavy weight across her abdomen to keep Marley still._

_"Struggle all you want sweet cheeks," she said pinching her. "If you keep struggling, you'll just break a rib, and there's nothing anyone can do about a broken rib," Terri said and she pinched Marley's other cheek, before leaning in and kissing her full on the lips, trying to be passionate, but all she did was make Marley want to throw up._

_Terri picked up a fleet enema kit and opened it loudly, and now Marley couldn't see, all she could do was hear and feel. "Baba for baby," she said and she uncapped the small nozzle and shoved it roughly into Marley's body. There was no preparation, no lubrication, except for the small amount on the applicator. She pushed it in and squeezed the contents in as roughly as she could and Marley screamed. Unfortunately for Marley, those screams turned Terri on. She pulled it out, let the bottle come back to a normal shape, tipped it so all the liquid was at the tip again and then squeezed firmly. The problem with that was as she squeezed roughly she pushed air into Marley's body and the gas was going to be trapped, causing Marley nothing but aches and pains._

_"Baby has to finish her entire Baba, or Mommy is going to be very cross," Terri crooned and Marley struggled not to cry, but all she felt was pain from the cramps, and she had to relieve herself._

_"No more!" Marley pleaded._

_"Quiet!" Terri barked pushing a pacifier soaked in vinegar firmly into Marley's mouth, locking in behind her head with a clip. "Shhh, no more screaming. No more yelling. Relax. Open wide for Baba," Terri said and she pushed the nozzle to the enema tube firmly in and out of Marley's rectum, fucking her with the bottle while the water worked on her system. It didn't take long for Terri to get bored and once Marley stopped screaming in fear, Terri got really bored. She pulled the bottle out, put on a clean diaper, taped it into position and then left Marley on the table. Her body couldn't hold onto the liquid any longer, it wasn't meant to, and it all came spilling out into her diaper. Terri had walked by at one point and sniffed. She walked into the room and pinched Marley's cheek hard again. "Don't worry sweet cheeks, I got you a new Daddy. Pretty soon, he'll be here and we'll get to start our new life," she said and with that she walked away, leaving Marley alone in her own filth._

"She broke my little girl. She's so scared of everything, and something is wrong. Something I can't fix. I understand it, but I can't fix it. I need to talk to Miss Susan to help Marley. To fix my baby," Santana said seriously.

"Alright, we will do that, but first off you have to calm down. Do what you need to do and pull it together and then I will call Miss Susan for you," she said and Santana paced, like a caged animal, trying to work out her nerves. Doctor Martinez had informed Santana that two of Marley's many sores had come from anal trauma, and in the file it listed several actions that would be defined as anal trauma. Santana figured the enema would have done it, and she could only guess it was an enema, but it was the only thing that made sense right now. The enema came in a bottle, and baba was the baby word for it, something Santana knew Terri insisted on using. Her blood boiled with anger and her body shook with anxiety. "I have to help her," she said softly.

Santana continued to pace and then pulled out her phone, checking to see why Rachel hadn't texted her back yet. When she saw the word _Draft _under Rachel's name she swore under her breath. "Calm Santana," Beth said sternly as she picked up her phone to call Susan.

Santana blushed and apologized to Beth before erasing what had been there and typing out a whole new message. "I know what it is, I'm calling Miss Susan for help. I'll be home as soon as I can," she texted and then she put her phone to vibrate and slipped it into her back pocket.

"Hi Susan, it's Beth, Santana needs to talk to you," she said and after a moment she handed the phone to Santana.

"I know what it is. I know what she's been hysterical about," Santana said in a rush.

"Calm Santana!" Beth said seriously, but Susan said those same words on the other end of the phone at the same time and Santana blushed a little bit more. It was scary how the two women were so in sync at times.

"Sweetheart, I will help you, you know that, but I want you to sit down and take a breath, so I understand everything," Susan said and with a heavy sigh, Santana sat down and did a few deep breathing exercises. She calmed herself enough and once Susan heard her breathing settle out, she began to speak. "What has she been hysterical about sweetheart?"

"She keeps crying, shaking, telling us she doesn't want a baba. We didn't know what that was. We showed her a picture of a baby bottle and she laughed, so we knew it wasn't that. But now I know. It's an enema, she doesn't want and enema," Santana said.

"That's a large jump Santana. How did you come to this realization?" she asked kindly.

"I was in a hydro session with Miss Mercy and she kept saying it. She kept telling him, he had to relax, and open wide, and just breathe, and then I got a text from Rachel and Marley woke up screaming about how she didn't want to open wide for a baba. Miss Susan that has to be it, and I don't know how to make her understand we won't give her one of those. She doesn't even know what's it's really called," Santana said getting worked up again.

"Breathe Santana. I will help you. I don't know how at the moment, so I need some time to think. Go home to your family and I will call you later once I have something figured out. However, you will not tell her she doesn't need one. If she's afraid she has to have one, it's probably because she does."

"Yes Miss, thank you," Santana said and then handed the phone back to Beth. "She said I should go home to my family and wait for her call," Santana said.

"I agree, but I have another condition. You will share everything you can with Rachel and Kurt, if they are both home," Beth said and Santana nodded. She'd been doing that already. "Including your insecurities young lady," Beth said seriously and Santana gave her a shocked look. "I know you Santana, just like I know all my staff. You don't like to share. Now up until this point in your life, that has been fine, but right now, with Marley, this is not something you should deal with alone. You had a break down in my hallway. I want you to go home and confide in someone. You need to do it, to release the stress that is building up. You have to relax so you can help Marley relax and you know what? It's really okay to have a break down." Santana sat quietly and eventually nodded her agreement.

"Good girl. Go home, and I will help Miss Mercy with anything else that she needs. I will tell her, she was a great help to you, and then I will check on you tomorrow morning," Beth said. Santana nodded, stood up, gave Beth a hug, and left the office. She had to get home.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you're all still enjoying the story. I know the last chapter was pretty intense, this one isn't that bad, but still pretty graphic.**

**Warnings for this story are enemas, talk of sodomy, and periods. If there are any guys reading this story, I'm sorry if this grosses you out, but it's what girls deal with. I also know that some of you were concerned that she wasn't going to get it, or wanted to know where it was, since physically she is not a baby, Marley is a full fledged woman. That is going to be addressed in this chapter and the next several chapters as well.**

**I want all of you to know how much I appreciate your support and now I need a favor. I've come to a sticking point in my story, so you all need to say things, write things to me, and help spark the creative flow in me, because when I say stuck, I mean stuck, as in, if I don't figure out somewhere for this story to go, I"m going to hit a chapter and you're going to be left with a half ass story, and I really don't like doing things half assed.**

**As always, major major major thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for all their inspiration and encouragement.**

**Wishing you all well! :)**

* * *

><p>Santana opened the door to the loft and immediately frowned. There was a disney movie on the television, Rachel was singing quietly, and there were a pile of dishes in the sink, while Kurt was walking out of the bedroom with Teddy Bear and Marley's blanket, handing it to Rachel and then went to take care of the dishes.<p>

She immediately walked over to the couch and got in front of Marley. She crouched down and spoke softly. "Hi baby girl," she said gently and Marley immediately broke down into tears, sobbing for her Mommy, crying because she had been terrified by a nightmare and relieved that her Mommy had come home after all.

"Nice, Santana, I just got her to relax," Rachel said in frustration and Marley only cried harder.

"Shhh, you're alright baby girl, you're okay," Santana soothed as she rubbed gentle circles over Marley's back. "And you're okay too," she told Rachel. "Go, I got her," she said kindly. Rachel gave her a kiss and then went to help Kurt with the dishes. Santana moved onto the couch and Marley started to whimper and shriek. "Shhh, I'm right here baby," she said gently and pulled the girl up onto her lap. "Look, let's watch Ariel," she encouraged, but Marley whined and pushed herself further into Santana, hiding her face from the world.

Kurt and Rachel worked on the dishes and Rachel finally could take no more. She leaned into Kurt and relied on him for comfort. She was trembling with anxiety. "Hey, hey, hey, you're okay, Santana isn't mad at you. Marley just had a bad dream and she's calming down. You did really well Rach," he said kindly and she shook her head.

"She was so scared when she woke up. I didn't know what to do, or say, and I couldn't get her to calm down fast enough," she said.

"Rachel, you have to relax, you did well, I promise. I watched you. You did everything for Marley that Santana has done. You are an actress Rachel. You acted like Marley's Mommy. You managed to do for Marley, everything, _everything_, that Santana does for her. I know you don't feel it, and I know all her screaming freaked you out, but I promise you, you did a great job," Kurt insisted.

Rachel simply held on to him and cried softly, not feeling like she had done well at all. Neither of them had noticed how quiet it had gotten and Rachel didn't see Santana sneak up behind her and wrap her arms around her. Rachel let out a gasp and then looked at the hands around her waist and spoke softly. She knew who it was, just by the hands. "Where's Marley?," Rachel asked.

"She's sleeping," Santana said kindly and Kurt gave her a relieved look. Then Santana felt Rachel shake next to her. "Why are you freaking out on me troll," she said although not unkindly. Kurt replied with a kick to her calf and growled protectively. Rachel however turned around, smacked Santana's shoulder and hugged her tightly.

"If you two attempt a cat fight, I will hurt both of you severely," Kurt warned and he left them alone. He moved to the far chair in the living room to watch Marley carefully and make sure someone was with her if she happened to wake up from another night terror.

Santana kept Rachel close and the two just hugged for a while. "Is she really okay?" Rachel asked with concern.

"Apart from having been tortured for a few months, yes, she is," Santana said. "What about you?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"I," Rachel started, but then took a shuddering breath and Santana gave a sad smile. She moved them to the kitchen table, they each took a seat, and Santana took Rachel's hand, letting her take her time. "Everything was fine, and then she burst out with how she didn't want to open wide for a baba. Santana, it was crystal clear, no lisp, no hesitation, the words came flying out, and she was absolutely dead asleep, because after that she screamed bloody murder, and messed herself. I got her changed, and then tried to comfort her, but she didn't want it. She was shaking and trembling and I did everything I could think of to make her stop and she just wouldn't."

"And yet when I came home, I found the two of you sitting quietly and relatively calmly on the couch watching television," Santana pointed out.

"Lucky break," Rachel said and she wiped away her tears and sighed. "Okay, so what did you learn?"

Santana wanted to push Rachel to finish her little panic attack, but that would make her a hypocrite, so she let it go. "Kurt has to join us," she said. "Hey, Lady Hummel, come over here, this is serious," she said standing up and going over to the fridge and Rachel watched in confusion. She called him to join them and then stood up to leave. She retrieved the infamous blue folder and sat back down at the table just as Kurt joined them.

"Shouldn't one of us be over there with her?" he asked.

"Only if we hear something, but you both need to know what I think I figured out, because this is huge," Santana said seriously as she opened the folder to the right section. She took a deep breath and began to read quietly to her friends. "Patient had to be sedated for further examination to avoid further mental trauma. Patient still doesn't speak, blink, communicate, or struggle. Patient is showing minimal conditions of a catatonic teenager. Upon further investigation, we've discovered severe stretching to the lower foot of the large intestine. Muscles have lost their elasticity by seventy percent and gaining back strength shows to be about fifty percent. Patient has suffered severe anal trauma, based on the muscle bruising present in the exam," she read.

"Okay, there's only one problem with that," Kurt said and Santana looked at him carefully. "Anal trauma implies that she was at the very least sodomized, and speaking as a gay man, sodomy doesn't have to be painful," he said.

"Ew! Kurt," Rachel said covering her eyes and shaking her head.

"I'm not giving details, I'm just saying," he said trailing off a bit.

"You," Santana said taking Rachel's hand off her face, "grow up a little bit," she told her and then turned to Kurt. "And you are actually correct. Sodomy, when done right, with permission, and a gallon and a half of lotion and lubrication, won't truly hurt," Santana said.

"I'm really hoping you know this based on work experience and not personal," Rachel said softly.

"Actually," Santana said with a smirk and Rachel covered her ears with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Lalalalala," she sang softly.

"Then you shouldn't have hinted at wanting a direct answer," Santana laughed and she stood up, kissed Rachel's cheek and then moved to put the blue folder away and Rachel scowled at her, not liking the slightly condescending tone she had. "So yes, she was sodomized and from what I gather, it was with an enema, but it wasn't called that. It was a called," she said.

"A baba," Kurt and Rachel finished, putting the pieces together for themselves and Santana nodded. "So wait, why doesn't she know what it's called?" Rachel asked curiously.

"My best guess is she was blindfolded. She doesn't know what it looks like, because she won't point it out to us. She just knows what Terri called it, and I'm assuming it was a fleet kit because, they cause the most "damage" in the shortest amount of time, it's what their designed to do," she said.

"So then all the blisters and sores and bruises came from that?" Rachel asked.

"Along with whatever spankings she got, which we know she did, because one bruise was a paddle burn," Santana said nodding her head.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Rachel said and she sat there breathing a little more deeply.

Kurt took her hand and squeezed it gently. "So now what do we do?"

"We wait for Miss Susan to call me, because she deals with all the little ones, she would know, I wouldn't," Santana said honestly.

"We're not going to assure her that she won't get one?" Kurt asked.

"I don't want to promise that any more, because I have this sinking feeling that we're going to have to do it," she frowned.

* * *

><p>Susan did some research and made sure to text Santana over the last few hours. She wanted to be sure she had as much information as possible, because this was a serious deal in her mind. She had to do two things. First she had to figure out how to tell Marley what had really happened to her and then she had to find out why Marley had remembered this particular instance. She had her suspicions, but decided not to push it. She walked into the office and sat at her computer. "Let's see," she mused and tapped out a few keys on her computer.<p>

"What are you researching?" Beth asked walking in and smiling at her friend and coworker."

"I'm trying to figure out how to help Santana," she said.

"Ah yes, the enema dilemma," Beth smiled. "I called Santana the morning after and she had a very young Marley on her hands. That girl is traumatized and Santana is on the verge of a break down every few days. She's very stressed out and my heart goes out to her, because all she wants is to do right by Marley," Beth said and Susan nodded her full agreement. "What have you come up with so far?" Beth asked curiously.

"So far nothing. So far, it tells me how to introduce one, how to calm your child, what position to put your child in, and how much water to give them," Susan said.

"You know all of that already," Beth said frowning a bit.

"I do. I did however pick up two new tips, which I have a little one that I can test them out on, because they are very interested in enemas, but nothing about how to get my abuse victim to accept an enema," Susan said.

"Did you google it?"

"That exact phrase," Susan nodded, "and all I found out was that, women are terrible people, who abuse their power and traumatize their daughters or charges," she frowned. "Makes me want to go home and hug my kids as tightly as possible."

"You're kids are teenage boys, I'd make them shower first," Beth teased and Susan laughed.

"I really don't know what to tell Santana, but I have a feeling the reason that Marley is having these dreams because she actually needs an enema and I don't know how to make her better, without giving her one. The problem is, two fold though. I'd have to get Santana's approval, which I doubt would happen, and I have to be able to get to Marley and without Santana's approval, that's not happening."

"Well I am not being very helpful, so I will let you get back to your research and I'll talk to you later," Beth said and stood up and left.

"Oh kay Susan, find something," Susan scolded herself on a heavy sigh and went back to researching.

* * *

><p>"Okay Marley, let's try the smaller box, can you do that for me?" Joe asked her kindly and she nodded. It had been several days since her last break down and while she wasn't nearly as upset as she had been, she was still very nervous and had decided on not saying much. Therapy had been going well though and she'd developed a lot more muscle tone than the first day Joe had met her. "I'm going to push this one out and slide this one in. It's a three second hold. You've done them before. We've been preparing for them. Are you ready to try?" he asked her.<p>

"No," she said honestly.

"Do you want your Mommy to come join you?" he asked her kindly and she nodded. "Alright, you can call her. I won't do anything until she comes to join us," Joe assured her.

"Mommy!" Marley called out and Santana showed up a few moments later.

"Hey munchkin, what's up?" she asked.

"Mommy day, new," Marley said nodding toward the smaller box.

"Alright, I'll stay with you," Santana told her.

"You can sit here Santana. You can touch her hand, but you can't hold it. Marley, you need both your hands and knees on the floor to be sure you have all of your balance okay?" he asked and she nodded, but looked scared at the same time.

"You can do it love. Mommy's here to help you," Santana encouraged.

"And she'd kill me if I let anything happen to you on purpose. That's why we prepare you for everything. If you know what the challenges are ahead of time, you're more prepared to take them on, yes?" he asked and Marley nodded her agreement. "Okay, so practice first. Three practices to get your muscles ready and then we switch, are you ready?" he asked and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded her agreement. "Okay, so this is what you do. I want you to brace your body and then round your back, like this," he said and he demonstrated for her, showing her how to round her back. "Now remember, keep your core very tight," he told her and she nodded. "Breathe in and arch on the exhale, you can do it. Then you hold the arch for three seconds and you relax for a few moments before we try again," he told her.

Marley nodded and Joe was very diligent in coaching Marley through each practice. After three he smiled at her. "That was excellent Marley, now we're going to switch out the box. I know you're afraid, but you're going to be okay. I'm here, and your mom's here, nothing terrible is going to happen.

"No, Mommy," she corrected him kindly and he smiled.

"I'm sorry, your Mommy is here," he said and Santana held her laughter back. It was the first time that Marley had spoken up to defend her family. "So now, this time when you arch, I'm going to push this box under you. You'll just be a little closer to the ground. I want to make sure you're gaining strength in your arms and not relying on the box. You will get to rest on the new box though, okay?" he asked her. She took a moment, flexed her hand, wrapping her fingers over Santana's and then nodded at Joe that she was ready. "Alright Marley, here we go, inhale," he coached and she took a deep breath. "Good girl, exhale and hold for three seconds," he said. She blew out all the air in her lungs, rounded her back, and Joe shifted the boxes. "One, two, three," he said counting slowly, "and now I will help you lower to the box below you," he told her and he put one hand on her back and one on her stomach and helped her down to the box.

"Good job baby," Santana praised her, leaning in and giving her a kiss. Marley was now resting on the box and her arms had a lot of slack in them which made her feel a little bit strange, but she was glad to be resting.

"Okay Marley," Joe said kindly. "So now, we practice push ups," he said and Marley flashed a look of panic at Santana.

"I'm right here baby. I'm not leaving, I promise," she told her. "Maybe Mr. Joe can show us what push ups he's talking about and then you'll be able to see what's going on better," she suggested.

Joe nodded his agreement and waited for Marley to focus on him. "See Marley, this is how we are going to get you mobile. First you have to develop enough strength to hold yourself up. That comes from strong arms, strong back, strong core, and strong legs. Your back and core are doing wonderful and your legs are good because your family helps you walk when they can to get you from one room to the other. Your arms are good because we got you to start drinking for your self and playing with your toys. You're doing very well. Eventually though, you're going to have to crawl on your own. My job is to help make you a little bit more independent," he explained and she nodded. "So the push up just means that I want you to go from resting on the box to up on all fours by yourself. That's what the push up means. I promise I won't be barking at you, like the gym trainers do," he explained to her.

She nodded and looked to Santana for help. Her belly was starting to hurt her a little more, now that she was resting on the smaller box. "Mommy," she said softly looking at Santana and when Santana pet the side of her face gently she gave a smile. "Mommy, owie," she said softly.

"Should we go potty?" Santana whispered in her ear and Marley nodded. "On the potty?' she asked her and again Marley nodded. "Can Mr. Joe help me move you?" she asked getting her permission and Marley nodded.

"Buh, Mommy?" she asked softly. "Not Papa. Go way," she told her kindly trying to get her point across.

"No, you're right, Mr. Joe is not like Papa. He will leave the room and if you like I will too," she said.

"No, Mommy day," she said seriously.

"Alright love. Mr. Joe, will you help me assist Marley to the bathroom?" she asked him and he nodded. They assisted her to the bathroom and Joe left them alone and Santana helped Marley to undo her diaper and sit on the toilet. Santana noticed the small stains in the seat of the diaper, but she didn't say anything, folded it up, and threw it away. She knew what the stains represented and now she was going to have to face an entirely new set of challenges. Marley however was seated on the toilet, pushing, and straining, her body aching with the pain of a stopped up bowel and she had no idea how to relieve herself. The cramps were getting intense as well and she wasn't entirely sure what those cramps were all about. She hadn't had cramps in months.

"Mommy," she whimpered.

"What's wrong love, you're okay, I'm right here, just breathe," she told her gently.

"No baba, no baba Mommy," she pleaded and Santana's heart broke. Now she knew what that was. Now she knew why Marley was so against it. Not only was Marley having trouble going to the bathroom at all, she was about to start up on her period again, which brought on extra pain and in some people extra blockage.

"Marley, calm down baby, look at me," Santana said. "I just want you to focus that's all baby," she said and she waited, smiling as Marley breathed, trying to calm herself.

"Fi-ah Mommy, pee fi-ah," she said.

"I have to open the door and leave the room," Santana said and Marley nodded, feeling herself get more worked up. "I am so proud of you baby girl," she told her. It was the first time that Marley had out right asked for her pacifier during the day. She needed to calm down and she knew it, and over the past few days, she'd learned that it was a great help. Santana stood up, opened the bathroom door, and then closed it behind her. Marley burst into tears as soon as it was closed and Santana returned with the blue and red pacifier for her, putting it in her hand, rubbing her back, and giving her gentle kisses to her temple.

Marley shoved the pacifier into her mouth and breathed raggedly for a few moments, finally getting herself together and then looked to Santana, who was back to being seated in front of her. "Shhh, you're okay baby. You're safe, Mommy's here," she told her.

"Owie, no baba," Marley cried.

"I know lovely, I know. Just breathe a little more sweetheart. The feeling will pass, I promise and Mommy is working on finding you a solution so that you aren't in pain any more okay?" she told her and Marley nodded and leaned forward, resting her head on Santana's shoulder. She wanted comfort, as much as she could get and Santana got the message loud and clear. "I love you so much Marley, and as soon as we figure something out, we'll get you all fixed up, I promise okay? But in the mean time, when you are done here, we have to go back to therapy with Mr. Joe," Santana explained.

Marley nodded and sat back after a few moments, straining for five more minutes, before she gave up. "Done," she frowned. She wanted to go, but it hurt to push and her body seemed stuck. Santana got her a fresh diaper, helped her put it on, and then washed her hands, while Marley continued to sit and wait.

"Marley, do you remember the last time you had your period?" she asked her casually and Marley turned to look at her with panic.

"No, no, baby, no bud, baby!" she cried and burst into tears.

"And therapy is over," Santana sighed. "C'mere baby," she said and she helped her to stand up and held her close, swaying slightly from side to side while rubbing her back gently. "Shhh, you're okay sweetheart, you're okay," she told her and Marley started shaking. She couldn't be a baby if she got her period, Terri had beat it into her brain, as well as her bottom and given her a pill to help her stop her period.

_"Babies do not bleed!" Terri told her. "Take this," she said giving her a pill that Marley didn't recognize at all. _

_"What is it?" she asked._

_Terri moved like lightening, pulled Marley over her lap and spanked her firmly. "How do you speak to me?" she demanded._

_"Owwww!" Marley hissed. "Wha dis?" Marley asked giving her best baby lisp that she could manage._

_"And do you ever question me?" Terri demanded as she lowered Marley's pants and began spanking her bottom with a near by ping pong paddle, turing her bottom pink through her white underwear._

"No bud, no bud, I baby, no bud, Mommy," she begged.

"Shhh, calm down Marley, calm down, you're okay. We're going to stop therapy and we're going to sit and talk and maybe take a nap and Mommy has to skype with Miss Susan from her work," Santana told her and Marley gripped her tighter. "I know, I know, you're okay," Santana soothed and she very carefully made it to the bathroom door. She opened it up and called out to Joe. "Joe! I'm really sorry, but therapy is done for today," she said and he gave her a curious look.

"Are you sure? You almost never cancel sessions," he said. Santana gave him a kind smile and held out Marley's hand for him to see. Her fingers were trembling so violently that Joe could tell where each of the fourteen bones in them were. Everything seemed to be moving on it's own and Marley let out a strangled gasp. "Okay then," he said agreeing with her. "Now, tell me, before I leave, where would you like to go sit or lie down and would you like anything special before I leave?" he offered.

"Rachel left a strawberry protein shake in the fridge. I need that and the straw that is in the drain thing, drying. It's a crazy twisty one. Looks like a pair of sunglasses," Santana said. He got her the shake she asked for, gathered his things and then headed out. Santana kept Marley in her arms and sung her a little lullaby to help calm her. "You're my very best girl Marley and I know you hurt, but pretty soon, Mommy is going to have a solution for you," she promised her giving her kisses to her temple. She helped her drink the protein shake, despite Marley's protests and once it was half gone, Santana backed off. The two cuddled closely for fifteen minutes and then she noticed that Marley was now sleeping.

She carefully laid Marley on the couch with her head in Santana's lap so she could cuddle with her and then she carefully texted a message to Susan and waited for a reply. She then picked up the remote and turned on the television, resting and taking a nap for herself.

* * *

><p>Kurt and Rachel got home at the same time and walked into the loft to hear Marley screaming and Santana was now cooing to a very stressed out Marley who was freaking out over a dream. "Owie!" Marley screamed and both Kurt and Rachel winced.<p>

"Shhh, Marley, no more screaming," Santana told her and turned to see both Kurt and Rachel were now home. "Look baby, Mama Rae and Papa came home," Santana said.

"No, no, no, OWIE!" she cried and she didn't care that she wasn't supposed to scream any more. Her entire body hurt.

"I know baby, I know," Santana cooed. "Okay, I need serious help. My phone is in the bedroom. Miss Susan is in my contacts. We need to call her," Santana said seriously. "Now I think," she said and before anyone could move Marley screamed. Her bowels moved slightly and she did pass something into her diaper, but the pain of moving it out of her body was too much for her to handle and she was sure she felt something tear and she burst into tears and hung on to Santana for dear life. "Alright baby, let's get you changed, come on," Santana said after Marley stopped screaming.

Kurt feared it was going to be a long night and Rachel feared Santana was going to lose her mind. Santana's fears were much more than what was happening in the moment. She was concerned that Marley was starting her period soon. She was concerned that the reason Marley kept dreaming about being tortured with enemas was because she actually needed one and she was mostly concerned that she was going to have to get Susan up to their place to give Marley said enema. It wasn't something she wanted to even think about, but it was all part of being Marley's Mommy. It had to be done, even though it was probably the toughest thing she'd ever done, up till this point.

"Come on sweetheart, we're going to get you changed and relaxed, and then water."

"No Mommy," Marley said tears rolling quickly down her cheeks.

"Yes baby, a little water. Not a lot, but we have to get more water into you. It will make going potty not so painful," Santana said softly. "I think that's why you're in so much pain now. Come on, let's get you changed sweetheart," she said kindly and began guiding her to the bathroom.

She helped her to lay down and Marley started crying harder. "Owie, owie, owie," she whimpered as her back went into spasm, from her therapy earlier in the day.

"Rachel!" Santana called and Kurt almost pushed her toward the bathroom. Rachel appeared at the doorway and then carefully walked in. She moved over to Marley and set her hand on Marley's face, cooing softly at her, to help her calm down a little. "Teddy Bear, blanket, a movie, and a heating pad please," Santana said simply.

Rachel nodded and leaned down giving Marley a kiss to her forehead and grabbing a few tissues to help her wipe away her tears that were still falling.

"Owie Mama," she cried.

"I know baby, I know, we're working on fixing it," she said. "Stay with Mommy and I will get everything set up for you sweetheart," Rachel told her kindly.

Rachel left them alone and Marley looked up at Santana. "Mommy," she pleaded.

"Breathe sweetheart, just keep breathing. We're going to get you sorted out, I promise," Santana told her. "Tell me baby. Why is Mama getting Teddy Bear for you?" she asked her kindly trying to distract her as another wave of spasm went through her just as Santana taped her into a clean diaper.

"OW!" Marley screamed.

"Shhh, I know baby, I know, breathe for me sweetheart, breathe with Mommy," Santana coached her gently and Marley started to do as asked and the wave of pain left her. "Good girl Marley, very good," Santana praised. "Let's try again baby, why is Mama getting Teddy Bear?" she asked.

"Cudda," she said softly.

"Yes, so you can have something soft and squishy to cuddle. What else does my love want tonight?" she asked her.

"Mommy," Marley said reaching her arm up to Santana.

"I'm not pulling you up to sitting today baby. I'm going to come over you and lift you up that way okay. Keep your core tight though, it will help with your back," she said kindly and brought herself over Marley's body, wrapping an arm under her shoulders and helping her to sit up, pulling with some strength and Marley did let out a tiny whimper, but that was it. Then she leaned forward and hugged Santana tightly.

"My Mommy," Marley whimpered softly.

"Yes my love, and you're my baby," Santana assured her and she held her in a soft silence for a few moments before helping her to stand so they could go into the living room.

"There she is," Kurt smiled.

"Papa," Marley said and she leaned into him and he easily supported her weight and rubbed her back.

"I missed you baby girl," he told her and she hugged him tighter. "Mama got everything ready for you, we've got Teddy Bear, and your warm blanket, and water to drink, and Mama picked out the movie Speed," he told her and she simply leaned against him, not caring any more what was going on. She was exhausted. The spasm and Marley evacuating her bowels had taken up every last ounce of her energy. So while Kurt got Marley settled on the couch, Rachel joined Santana in the kitchen.

"You don't get freaked out over a spasm, what happened?" Rachel asked.

"Well now that we know what a baba is, I think she actually needs one, and I don't even know how we might even try to do that. I don't think I can. Not without sending her back to her catatonic state that she was in, when they brought her into the hospital."

"So then what do you need from us?" Rachel asked.

"I wish I knew," Santana said and Rachel moved quickly. She wrapped her in a bone crushing hug and didn't let go and in a very odd moment of vulnerability, Santana hugged her back.

"You'll figure it out, you always do, and while you were in the bathroom, your phone buzzed," Rachel told her. "Come on, movie and cuddle time on the couch. I think we all need it," she said.

They joined Kurt and Marley and Marley stayed cuddled against Kurt, which was what she wanted at the moment. The only condition was that Marley had to drink her water. Rachel had to conceal her laughter. Marley had Kurt wrapped around her little finger for sure. If Santana wanted her to do something that she didn't want to do, she would stay with Kurt, because he would try and get her out of it. "You can stay with Papa baby, but you have to drink some water. Not a lot, just half the glass and not all in one go," Santana told her lovingly.

"No Mommy, owie," she said.

"I know you hurt sweetheart but you need to drink the water. It'll make it hurt less later, I promise you," Santana told her and Marley whined softly. "Marley my love. You have a choice baby girl. Water now, little sips at a time out here with everyone while we watch a movie, or bed now, with Mommy, and you'll still have to drink the water, little sips at a time," Santana said firmly and before Kurt could say anything, Rachel reached discretely behind him and pinched his shoulder. She held up a finger at him and gave him as stern a look as she could muster. He was not to undermine Santana. That would accomplish nothing and she understood that.

Marley whimpered but did as asked and fell to sleep rather quickly, her head in Kurt's lap while he combed his fingers through her hair and then Rachel looked over at Santana. "Did you check your phone yet?" she asked her kindly, stretching as the credits rolled on the movie.

"No," Santana yawned.

"I'm going to bed, do you need help with anything before I do?" she asked.

"No, I'll have Papa help me, go on," Santana told her and Rachel nodded, leaned in and gave each of them a kiss before going to bed herself.

"So what did happen in the bathroom."

"She passed a rock and she had a muscle spasm and what's worse, is that I now have to figure out how to give her the thing that scares her the most, teach her it isn't that bad and get her to take it without freaking out so much that she has a freakin' heart attack and I don't have a clue."

"A heart attack?" Kurt asked.

"She's on the verge. Heart attack, panic attack, something. It's going to show up if I'm not careful," she said frowning.

"Check you're phone and then I'll help you get her to bed," he told Santana kindly.

She pulled it out and gave a slight sigh. Marley's legs were on her lap and she rubbed her calves gently to keep them from getting a cramp. She tapped into her voicemail and hung her head not liking what she had heard.

"Santana my love, I hate to break it to you like this, but I have done every bit of research I can think of to do. I read over Marley's file and as much as I know you don't want to do this. She needs an enema. The longer you let it go, the more pain she's going to be in, and then you're going to end up back at the hospital. I do have a few thoughts on how to give her one, and I wouldn't make you do that. I would offer to do it for you. I think she's going to be even more scared than we can possibly anticipate, so think about it for tonight. Only tonight honey. I need an answer. Marley needs help fast and I honestly believe, as much as I hate it, that this is how she's going to get it," Susan explained. "Sleep well my dear and call me in the morning. I'm off the next two days,"

"It's going to be a very long night," she sighed and with some very careful movements, Santana and Kurt moved Marley to their bedroom and the house fell quiet as everyone went to bed.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone,**

**So today is going to be Bonus Wednesday - HUMP DAY! Sorry I like the camel and that silly commercial. So, as always, thank you to all my readers for your continued support. To NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008, thank you for your inspiration and encouragement. **

**This chapter doesn't have a lot of squick in it. The warnings in this chapter are talk of enemas and one very fast mention of rape. **

**Thank you all for reading and enjoy the rest of your week. Also randomly for all the glee fans, the previews for next week's episode. I am SO thrilled, because I selfishly think this might actually help me more my story along a little more.**

**Be well friends.**

* * *

><p>Marley woke up a few times during the night so when Rachel finally got up in the morning to see Santana sitting at the table nursing a very black cup of coffee, she frowned. "Anything I can do to help?" she offered.<p>

"Yeah," Santana laughed. "Find me a solution where torture isn't the answer," she said.

Rachel nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Where's Marley?"

"She's sleeping for now. She was up six time last night, which means I was up six times last night," Santana said and Rachel went to carry on conversation, but Santana stood up and starting pacing. "You know that I've failed right? You do know that," she said angrily and Rachel sat down with her cup of coffee watching Santana pace. "Six times and every time, she was saying she didn't want a baba, every single time, with tears in her eyes that just flowed. I couldn't take it," Santana said and Rachel went to say something, but Santana was finished, so Rachel sat quietly, to listen. "I can't do this to her. I can't make her go through something that is nothing but torturous memories for her and Miss Susan says I ultimately have no choice. How am I going to do this?" she asked staring at Rachel, who was now staring at her cup and thinking, not really paying too close attention to Santana. "I'm actually asking you!" Santana barked.

"Okay, first of all, stop yelling. You're voice is getting louder and if Marley is still sleeping, then we should let her do it. Secondly, how do you know for sure what Miss Susan does or doesn't want?"

"I actually listened to the voice mail last night, genius," Santana growled.

"Talk to me after you've had more coffee, I'm going for a shower. Don't attack anyone," Rachel said and went into the bathroom and took a shower. Kurt came out of his bedroom and looked at Santana sitting at the table, but he noticed that Santana looked angry and frustrated and scared all at the same time.

"Not to cause you any further stress, but your baby is starting to wake up," he told her and instead of getting up, she thunked her head down on the table in frustration. She was going to have to break the news within the next fifteen minutes and her cell phone chirped at that very moment. "You answer the phone, I will go see Marley," he told her seriously and walked out of the kitchen and into Santana's room.

"Papa," Marley yawned when she saw him and then he watched as her face twisted in pain.

"Hey baby girl," he smiled moving to sit on the bed next to her. She very carefully and painfully wiggled her way into Kurt's lap and put her head on his shoulder.

"No baba, pee Papa," she whimpered.

"Okay, okay, I won't give you a baba, but I want to talk to you about it okay?" he asked her and she tensed and leaned over a bit, reaching for something. He smiled and handed her the pacifier she was reaching for. "Listen to me baby, just listen okay. Easy questions. Do you hurt right now?" he asked and she nodded. "What hurts?" he asked.

"Umma," she said around her pacifier rubbing her belly gently.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Um," she said thoughtfully and took stock of her body. Her shoulders were a little sore, she had a slight headache and her feet felt a little bit swollen but nothing really bothered her as much as her stomach did. "Umma," she said again. "No baba," she said pleading with tears in her eyes.

"Okay sweetheart, nice and slow. Tell me why they are bad," he coached and Marley fell quiet, trying to figure out how to communicate this without falling apart. She didn't want to cry any more.

"Bah'k," she said.

"We can get your blocks, we'll go together okay?" he asked her and she nodded, holding on to him as he stood up and guided her into the living room. He sat down on the floor with her and she pressed her back into his chest and reached for her bucket of blocks and dumped them on the floor. Then she turned a bit to look at Kurt, waiting for him to ask a question so she could spell it out for him. "Okay sweetheart, so when you used to get a baba, what happened?" he asked her.

With trembling hands, Marley searched through her blocks and spelled the word slowly. R was the first letter and Kurt felt his blood run cold. He didn't want the next letters to follow but he breathed as evenly as he could so that Marley would feel safe telling him the rest of the word. He watched her hand and then frowned when he looked down at the spelled out word. RAPE.

"That is a very strong and ugly word Marley," he told her kindly.

"Owie," she said whimpering, taking her pacifier out of her mouth. She wanted to cry, it wasn't going to stay in her mouth, if she cried. So she set it on the coffee table.

"Yes," he said with a sad smile. "Yes, that would definitely make a lot of owie for Marley," he told her. "Do you know that that is not what is supposed to happen?" he asked her and she looked at him with a wrinkled brow. "That beautiful face tells me that you don't know that, so can Papa explain it to you?" he asked her and she looked at him questioningly. "Santana!" he called out keeping her close and Santana joined them moments later seeing a look of confusion and slight fear on her little girl's face.

"What happened honey?" she asked gently pulling Marley into her arms, rubbing her back and kissing her temple. She spotted the blocks that were still spelled out on the floor and glared at Kurt.

"No. She spelled that, not me, so back off," he said strongly and she rolled her eyes but calmed down slightly.

"Why did she spell that word?" she asked him and he saw the anger still bubbling up in her body.

"Breathe Santana," Kurt told her. "Because she was telling me that's what happened when she got a, well you know," he said.

"Yeah we need to change that word," Santana said and cradled Marley in her arms. "Marley, look at Mommy honey, it's okay," she assured her, feeling her shake. "Mommy and Papa are sometimes very fresh with each other," she told him. "It's okay though. No one is mad at Marley," she promised her and Marley very slowly looked at her, having a tough time keeping eye contact. "I know this is tough for you baby, so if you aren't ready, you let me know, but Mommy really needs to talk to you about this entire issue," Santana said.

"No baba, Mommy," Marley cried.

"Shhh, I know sweetheart, I do. I understand, but remember how a long time ago we talked about pacifiers?" she asked and Marley looked confused. "Okay, let's explain further. A very long time ago, when Mommy first met you, you were afraid of pacifiers, do you remember that?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Right and we said that the pacifier was not the scary thing, it was the bully who made them scary. The bully who took away your trust, and made it scary for you, but over time you learned that it wasn't scary and that Mommy and Papa and Mama Rae don't care if you have a pacifier with you every day," Santana said.

"Baba diff'nt. No idda. Baba owie!" Marley protested. Santana nodded her agreement and felt her heart grow with pride at how strong Marley was being right now. She was about to fight, Santana could feel it, but for now, things were calm.

"Sweetheart, that isn't totally true. First off, it's not a baba. The real word is enema," Santana told her.

"Eminem?" Marley asked trying to say the word.

"Almost," Santana smiled and she reached for the blocks. E..N..E..M..A she spelled for her, rotating the E's.

"She needs more than one set of blocks," Kurt grumbled.

"She does fine with one," Santana scolded him. "So you see Marley, you didn't even learn the right word and the way it was done to you was wrong. It doesn't work like that. It doesn't hurt the way Terri the bully made it hurt." she explained.

"No, owie!" Marley protested, wiggling in pain. "Mommy," she whimpered. "Mama ub, owie," she protested.

"Rach!" Santana called.

"Mommy needs to stop growling," Rachel scowled handing her the cup of coffee that Santana had left on table.

"Marley would like you to rub her belly," Santana said.

"Okay angel, come here," she said and Marley was carefully shifted so that her back was against Rachel's chest and Rachel was very gently and very carefully rubbing clockwise circles on her stomach, starting small and then making them progressively larger as time passed.

"Mommy," Marley said softly after a moment. "Eminem," she said.

"Enema baby, yes, that's what we think you need, but that is most definitely not what you got," she said.

"Fi-ah," Marley demanded reaching weakly for her pacifier that was nearby on the coffee table.

"Manners," Santana scolded.

"Pee Mommy," she said.

"Yes, here you go," she said handing it to her. "So I'm not going to lie to you baby. It's not the most pleasant thing in the world, and you are going to be scared, and it might hurt a little bit in the beginning, but if you don't have one, you may end up back in the hospital and they won't go slow with you at all," Santana told her honestly.

"No baba," Marley cried wiggling uncomfortably in Rachel's arms.

"No baby, no baba, because it isn't a baba. It's an enema and all it does is clean you out," Santana said trying to explain it, however Marley was as stubborn as the rest of her family so she wasn't paying attention and Kurt could tell it was starting to get to Santana that she couldn't reassure her baby that they wouldn't hurt her.

"Marley look at Papa," he said jumping in. "Do you remember a little while ago baby?" he asked gently. "Do you remember that Papa said he was going to explain things to you, about how it worked and explain that it may not hurt?" he asked her.

"NO BABA!" she screamed, worming away from Rachel. Her back locked out in spasm and she screamed in fear and pain. She couldn't work out why they were going to force her to have this, and they couldn't understand why she wasn't focusing.

Santana wanted to send her to the corner. She wasn't supposed to scream. Instead, Rachel jumped in and looked at Kurt. "Hold her," she told him and then stood up and dragged Santana away to the kitchen. "If you want to yell and scream now is the time. I will take care of her and you go do anything you want. Two hours minimum. Get out of the house Santana, get away from this. Take a breath for yourself. You need the break before it starts and I promise you as soon as she's done freaking out, we will go over the screaming rule and I will put her in the corner," Rachel told her.

"I can't leave when she's freaking out like this," Santana said and Rachel gave her a look, but Santana held up her hand. "If I leave when she acts out, she may think that is why I left. I don't want her to think I'm leaving because of what she did, ever," Santana said strongly.

"No baba, no baba!" Marley yelled, drumming her heels weakly into the floor, once the spasm passed, trying to get away from something and having a full out tantrum.

* * *

><p>Santana sat in the bedroom rocking Marley in her arms, humming a tune, she didn't even recognize, but she had to do something to get Marley to relax and calm down. Once she was calm, Santana gave her a kiss and settled her down to sleep. She finally went to sleep and Santana slipped out of the bedroom. "I need to get out," she announced.<p>

"You are not leaving that little girl with us," Kurt said.

"Why not?" Rachel asked in confusion.

"Kurt! I need a break! I need to get out for a couple hours and then come back," Santana growled at him.

"Why?" he growled back her.

"Oh for the love of," Rachel sighed and left the two of them to fight it out and snuck closer to the bedroom to be sure that Marley didn't wake up during the fight.

"Why? You're seriously asking me why?" she asked in anger. "You have got to be kidding me. you get out all the time. You aren't the one who stays home all day long with her. I'm stuck in baby world. And now, now I'm stuck in a situation that scares the shit out of her, and me, and I have to force her to do something that terrifies her, so excuse me, if I need a break!" she snapped and with that she stormed out of the house.

Rachel heard the door slam and Marley jumped, but Rachel kept her calm and then left the room once she was sure Marley was truly sleeping. Then she walked over to Kurt and kept her voice calm. "What was that all about?" she asked him.

"She left," Kurt said and Rachel nodded.

"Yeah and?" Rachel asked him.

"She got up and left. She left us here with a very scared little girl, that we know nothing about handling at the moment," he said getting aggravated.

"Yeah, and neither does Santana. What's your point?"

"Santana is her mother. Santana is the one that she wants and needs and has to have at all times and now she's not here," Kurt said getting all riled up.

"You love her," Rachel smiled, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling happily at him.

"You're looking at me funny and putting words in my mouth," he said defensively.

"You do. You absolutely do and you're scared. You are her Papa. You love her and you want everything good for her, and you don't know how to do that and you're scared because for some small amount of time, you and I are going to have to be the ones in charge and you don't know how to discipline her. You love her and you're scared," Rachel said sounding very sure of herself and triumphant.

"You are a terrible friend," he scowled but he wasn't forceful. Rachel had hit everything exactly and he didn't like that he was that transparent. He decided that he didn't want to deal with Rachel at the moment and if Marley woke up and Santana wasn't there, then he wasn't going to be able to do deal with that either, so he went into the bedroom and closed the door. He was done for the day as well.

Rachel decided to take a break for herself and sat down at the kitchen table and decided to read something instead of thinking about how to help Marley. She was too close to the forest to see the trees as far as she was concerned.

* * *

><p>Four hours later, Santana was back from her little outing, Kurt came out of the bedroom, and Rachel cooked up dinner for everyone, while Marley was still sleeping. "She's been out for a really long time, should we be worried?" Kurt asked softly.<p>

"She's fine," Santana said simply.

"Okay, so how was your walk, or whatever you did?" Kurt asked trying to extend and olive branch.

"I went downstairs and sat next to some drunk guy. I didn't go anywhere. I couldn't leave because someone's words were in my head," she said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Apologize to Santana," they heard Rachel say and Santana laughed.

"You would be a very interesting Mistress. You sure you only want the Broadway gig?" she asked.

"I'll let you know," Rachel said dryly and then turned to Kurt. "Please apologize Papa," she told him and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry I accused you of walking out," Kurt said.

"I don't know what to do. I can't sit and listen to it so much, but I have to," Santana started.

"Hey, Mommy lady," Rachel said walking over and bumping their hips together. "Just say thank you and then you can vent to us," Rachel said.

"Who made you boss all of a sudden?" Kurt challenged her kindly.

"I'm the Mama," Rachel said and Santana playfully smacked her hip as Rachel turned on her heel and danced her way over to the refrigerator.

"Well if you want the title, then you can have it. I don't know what to do. I know what I have to do, but I don't know how to do it without sending her into a heart attack," Santana sighed.

"Have you talked to Miss Susan?" Rachel asked kindly, pulling three beers from the fridge and passing them out once she popped off the caps. They each took a long pull and then heard Marley waking up in the other room.

Santana got up and went into the other room, smiling at Marley as she entered. "Hey princess," she grinned.

"Mommy," she said.

"Hi baby girl, how are you feeling?"

"Owie," she said and Santana sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Marley baby. I know you're scared and I know you don't want one, but tomorrow, you and Mommy are going to get you all fixed. You'll be allowed to cry and scream and be as loud as you want, but I promise you that this is the only way you're going to stop hurting and Mommy wants her baby to stop hurting more than anything," Santana said.

Marley burst into tears and managed to carefully wiggle her way into Santana's lap. Santana gathered her close and Marley let out heart breaking sobs. Santana murmured gently to her and let her get it out of her system, rubbing her back and kissing her temple. "It's not punishment baby. It's not to hurt you in any way. It's to help you feel better because I know you are in so much pain. We have to make sure you are taken care of, because as much as it hurts now, it's only going to get worse and then I'm going to have to take you to the hospital, and I don't know about you, but I'm kind of sick of that place. This feels more like home doesn't it?" she asked and Marley put a death grip on her. "I love you baby girl. Mommy loves you so much," Santana said, little tears running down her cheeks as she spoke to try and calm her love.

Kurt and Rachel let them be for a moment, and then went to help out. Rachel had a few slices of pizza on several plates and Kurt had Marley's protein shake as well as Santana's beer. Rachel got on the bed behind Santana and smiled at Marley. "It's very scary isn't it baby?" she asked her gently and Marley gave a soft whimper as a yes. "I'm so sorry that you're so scared my love. How about we don't think about that right now. How about we let Mommy hold you and Papa can help you drink, and Mama will help feed you and all you have to do is just sit with us," Rachel suggested. "I'll help feed you and Papa can help Mommy, because it's hard to feed yourself when you're using two hands to hold our beautiful baby girl," Rachel said and Marley thought for a moment. She moved back a bit and looked at Santana.

"Papa?" she asked her.

"As long as he is nice to me, he can feed me. I know that a few days ago Mama fed me while you slept against me," Santana said honestly.

"Marley, do you think I would ever be mean to Mommy?" Kurt asked and she turned her head and leaned toward him a bit to take a sip of her shake.

"No," she said. "Mommy. Papa kay. Papa he'p Mommy," she said.

"And what will Mommy do?" Santana asked curiously giving her a kiss to her temple.

"Ho'd me pee," Marley said.

"Alright, I think I can manage that, but you have to let Mama feed you too okay?" she bargained. Marley nodded and went back to resting her head on Santana's shoulder and quietly opened her mouth for Rachel, so she could be fed.

The little family ate in silence and Kurt alternated between feeding himself, Santana, and helping Marley drink. Santana knew when Marley stopped eating because she didn't feel Marley's chin jarring gently into her shoulder any more. "Tomorrow baby girl, we are getting you fixed. I don't know how or where just yet, but we have to," she said

"Too late Mommy," Rachel said softly. "She's sleeping."

"Come on, we'll all get ready for bed and then Rachel and I will help you brainstorm. We came up with an idea we think might help," Kurt said.

* * *

><p>Santana had talked to her room mates and friends, made a phone call to Miss Susan, set everything up, and then tried to go to sleep. Every time Marley whimpered in her sleep, Santana would pet her hair gently and after a few moments, she would go back to sleep, but that was how Santana spent her night, watching over Marley, afraid to close her eyes, or be sleeping so soundly that she wouldn't be able to sooth Marley's raw nerves. Marley on the other hand was battling her own demons.<p>

_Terri was right in front of her, ordering her to move, and oddly Santana was holding her. "Come here now!" Terri screamed and behind her Marley heard the sweet and reassuring voice of Santana._

_"You're safe here Marley, it's okay," she heard her say._

_"Mommy," Marley said softly._

_"That's right, I'm your Mommy, now get over here. These people don't love you, they never have, they never will. No one can love you but me, now get over here!" Terri screamed and Marley just looked at her. "Stalling?" Terri asked raising an eyebrow and she walked over to Marley and smacked her face. Marley's head spun and her cheek collided with Santana's shoulder. "See what you made me do? Do you see how bad you are? You need to be taught lessons. You are nothing but a terrible little girl, who is simply a freak show. You need to be taken home and punished for everything you did wrong," Terri said._

_"Shhh baby. Mommy's here, you're okay," Santana told her lightly brushing her thumb over Marley's bruised cheek._

_"You don't get to listen to her," Terri growled and she pulled Marely roughly to her and smacked her bottom so hard, blood started pouring out of her body and into her diaper. It pooled on the floor, around her ankles, and pain shot through Marley's body. "I thought I told you, babies, don't bleed!" Terri screamed. "You're not a baby, you're not sweet, you're not loved and you never will be. You are nothing but a little freak and no one will ever love you!" Terri screamed._

_"Shhh, Mommy's here Marley. Mommy has you, you're okay as soon as you're ready, I'll change you," she heard Santana say gently, but she didn't know where she was anymore. She just heard her voice and tried to hang on to it._

_"She doesn't love you. None of them do. I told you before, you're only a little slut, who we have to teach. You need to be stretched and open to take any man at any time, maybe several at the same time. You're nothing but a little slut," Terri said and she slapped Marely's face again. The pain connected this time though, and a loud cracking sound went through Marley's brain. She let out a scream and Terri quickly grabbed her keeping her close and shaking her. "Do you hear me! Nothing but a little lazy slut!" Terri was screaming. "Do you hear me, do you hear me!"_

"She doesn't hear me," Santana said with a bit of panic.

"Keep talking, and hold on," Rachel grouched walking to the bathroom, to get herself a band aid. She'd heard Marley scream out in her sleep and in her journey to go help, she stubbed her toe on the door jam, smacking her hand on the wall, stopping at the doorway.

"Do you hear me baby? Mommy's here. Just wake up sweetheart. Wake up and look at Mommy," she coaxed, trying to rouse Marley from her dream. Marley let out a whimper and then a scream. Rachel returned a few moments later and sat down on the bed. She laid next to Marley so she was sandwiched between both women. She pet her face carefully on one side while Santana pet the other.

_Marley saw Terri standing in front of her and all of a sudden she was on a hard surface and couldn't move very far. The heavy bar was over her ribs and something was brushing over her face. "Mommy would never hurt you," she heard and she let out a scream. She never wanted to call Terri Mommy. Terri was not a Mommy. Terry was a terrible lady and she turned her head long enough to see Rachel trapped in the corner. Her face was bruised and she was fighting against bonds to get to Marley. "Oh, did you find her? Do you see your Mama?" Terri asked and Marley moaned. Terri wasn't supposed to know Rachel, much less tie her to a chair, and Marley struggled. "No way I'm letting you near her," Terri said. "She came to save you, but she can't!" Terri said._

_"MAMA!" Marley screamed, straining against her bonds, not caring about her own body. Terri was an awful person and there was no way Marley was going to let Terri hurt Rachel._

"That's new," Rachel said caught by surprise at Marley's outcry.

"Shhh, Mama's right near you honey. Just open your eyes for me," Santana said gently.

_"You're not getting to her. Not a chance in hell and I'm going to do to her everything I do to you. I'll have two baby sluts to take care of. No one will save you and now she can't save you either," Terri stage whispered. "Maybe I should stretch her out like I stretched you out," Terri said and Marley screamed in frustration, trying to kick and get away from Terri to try and help Rachel._

_"MOMMY!" Marley screamed out._

_"She can't hear you. No one can hear you Marley and now, before I go over to torture her, you need a baba," Terri said._

Marley let out a scream and jolted herself awake. "Mama, mama, mama!" she panted trying to reach out and get to where Rachel was, which she thought was at the other end of the room. "Mama!" she repeated.

"Shhh, I'm right here baby," Rachel told her. Santana moved in behind her to hold her, while Rachel jumped in front of her, petting her face and trying to rouse her from her sleep. Marley blinked a few times and Rachel used the pads of her thumbs to stroke Marley's cheeks and temple, while cupping her face gently. "Shhh, I'm right here love," she said

"No, Mama," she panted, blinking away her tears and gulping to catch her breath.

"Yes baby. Yes. It's me. Mama's here, you're okay. I'm right here, and you're safe," Rachel told her and she searched her eyes in order to figure out if Marley was focused and paying attention and all she saw was confusion.

"Mama," Marley said quickly and leaned into her, holding on tight, in an awkward position.

"Mama's here love. Let's get you into a more comfortable position," Rachel said pulling her into her lap and as she did, Santana slipped out of the room to get some water for Marley. "Marley baby, did you have a bad dream?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" she offered.

"No," Marley said. "Mama, no baba, an' Mama, you ayff," she told her panting heavily. Terri had threatened to hurt Rachel further, Marley had seen it. She'd seen the bruises on her face and she carefully pushed back, gently putting her hands on Rachel's face, looking at her seriously, trying to determine if she'd been hurt. "Eye Mama, pee eye," she said opening and closing her hand repeatedly, so Rachel leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp. "Mama owie?" she asked sniffling a little bit, pushing away her own tears, afraid that Rachel had been injured by Terri.

"Mama's okay baby," Rachel told her kindly, petting her face as Marley continued to study hers.

"No, no, owies," Marley insisted, her fingers trailing over Rachel's face with the lightest of touches, not wanting to cause her Mama any more pain.

"I stubbed my toe before, but I'm okay," she assured her and Marley looked at her curiously.

When Santana returned with the cup of water, she stood at the doorway an watched Marley check over Rachel, like they were monkeys and Marley was grooming Rachel. "Uh oh, what did I miss?" Santana asked.

"Mommy!" Marley said in a rushed voice. "Mommy. Mama owies. May okay," she told her.

"Mama got hurt?" Santana asked kindly, cutting her eyes to Rachel who very carefully shook her head no.

"Eff, may okay Mommy," Marley urged from her position on Rachel's lap.

"And what would you like me to do to make Mama okay?" Santana asked with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"We need to get you laid," Rachel grumbled under her breath, but Santana heard her and simply laughed.

"Talk to me baby girl, what should we do to check that Mama is okay, which I'm sure she is," Santana assured her.

Marley looked around the room a little and then looked at Santana. Something was off. She felt out of place and confused, trying to figure out the difference between what was real and what was a dream. "Papa?" she asked wanting to know where he was.

"Papa's sleeping sweetheart. I can take you to show you, but I don't want to wake him up. None of us should even be awake as it is now," Santana said kindly.

"Papa kay?" Marley asked.

"I promise you baby girl, Mommy and Mama and Papa are all very safe," Santana told her and brought the glass of water to Marley's lips. "Drink please, just a little bit," she said kindly, although it was a bit more of an order than a request. It had to be done though. Marley's leg had started to cramp and she was wiggling around a bit, so Santana wanted to get water into her, before her entire body locked out. Marley drank as asked and then she carefully rested against Rachel.

"Can we try laying down baby?" Rachel asked her gently.

"Mama day Mommy?" Marley asked.

"Mama can stay if she wants. We can all cram into bed together," Santana told her, brushing her hair back against her forehead.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kurt got up and made chocolate chip pancakes for everyone and then brought it to the girls. He got on the bed with them and very carefully, they all ate and took turns helping Marley eat her breakfast. "Papa?" she asked. "Papa, oh kay? No owies?" she asked him slowly, studying his face and body for any sign of something wrong. If Terri had gotten to Rachel, surely she'd gotten to Kurt too.<p>

"Yes baby, I'm okay. I don't hurt anywhere. I don't have any pain in my body," he assured her and scooped up some more pancake and fed it to her. She leaned into Rachel and was content to let them be. Once she finished eating Santana moved in front of her and spoke kindly.

"Marley baby, do you remember what we talked about last night?" she asked her gently.

"No baba Mommy, no baba, owie," she told her.

"I know sweetheart, but do you remember that we were trying to teach you the difference? What Terri did, that was wrong, and she also taught you the wrong word, and I hate to be the one to tell you this baby, but you do need one," Santana said and Marley started to cry immediately and backed away from Santana into Rachel.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, let Mommy tell you the full story sweetheart," she told her gently.

"No baba Mama, no," Marley cried and she picked up Rachel's hand and put it on her belly, wanting her to rub.

"Marley, look at me baby. You can sit with Mama and she can rub your belly, if she wants to, but I need you to focus on me sweetheart," Santana told her. "I want you to be prepared for what happens today, because it has to happen. I know you don't want it to, but we've waited too long, so we have to explain it to you, before you go through it," she explained.

"No, no baba!" she cried.

"Shhh, no, it's not a baba. We're not doing that. When you were with Terri, she bullied you. She abused you. I would never do that to you Marley. No one in this house would, nor would we let anyone hurt you," Santana tried.

"Here," Rachel said and she reached over to the night stand, grabbed the pacifier and put it in Marley's hand. "Hold this and if you want it, take it. I want you to be calm and focused so you truly understand everything Mommy is saying to you, and if you have questions, you can ask them," Rachel told her and Santana sighed happily. She probably wouldn't say it out loud, but there were moments where she was very grateful for Kurt and Rachel. Marley opened her mouth, her body shaking slightly and waited for Rachel to put it in.

"No baby girl. It's the same as always, only you are in charge of putting the pacifier in your mouth," Kurt told her and Marley looked at him, slightly stunned as did Santana and Rachel. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, Papa isn't usually the one to remind you of the rules and stuff. Meanwhile, I love you, and I have to go do dishes, are you done eating?" he asked her kindly.

She shook her head and let Kurt feed her three more bites, before turning away, indicating she was done. Overall, she ate a half a pancake, which was more than she'd eaten in one sitting, since she joined them.

"Okay, little girl, you need to focus, are you ready?" Santana asked her kindly and she nodded, but had tears in her eyes. "Okay, I'm just going to explain it to you, but first I have to know who's holding you."

"Mama," she said softly.

"Good girl baby, very good," Santana praised her. "This is what's going to happen, Mommy's friend, Nanny Susan, she's going to come over and she's going to give you the enema while Mommy holds you. It's going to be just the three of us and we're going to be in the bedroom, and you are going to be shown everything that is going to happen, before it happens. Nanny Susan knows how important you are to me and she has promised that she will go as slow as she can with us," Santana explained.

"Can I ask a question?" Rachel asked. She could feel how tense Marley was, so she wanted to be sure she got more information that she thought was important. Santana nodded and Rachel smiled. "What time is Nanny Susan coming?" she asked.

"One thirty," Santana said. "She wanted to be sure that your body had digested any food, it's eaten and that we would be the only ones home. Mama and Papa are working late tonight, so by the time they come home, Nanny Susan will be gone and it will be just Marley and Mommy that they come home to, and Marley will be feeling much less pain."

"Are we one hundred percent sure about this?" she asked.

"We are," Santana smiled and then focused in on Marley. "Sweetheart, I know you're scared, and it's okay, but I will never, ever, let anyone hurt you. This isn't going to be the most comfortable thing you ever do, but Nanny Susan will not hurt you, I will not leave you alone, and when it's all said and done, you will not have any more belly pain," Santana told her.

"No mo' ub?" Marley asked around her pacifier, craning a bit to look at Rachel.

"I will still rub your belly any time you want me to sweetheart," Rachel explained, "but having an enema, means I won't have to."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone!**

**Where I live, today is Happy Easter! I'm not entirely sure what it is religiously. Commercially, the bunny comes around and gives everyone baskets of candy and maybe some little toys to play with. Jacks and sidewalk chalk, and such. One year the easter bunny brought us t-shirts. Every house does it differently. For those that don't celebrate, Happy belated (although I think still going on) Passover, and for those of you who have a holiday I am completely unaware of , or don't have a holiday at all today, happy Sunday!**

**Squick factor is SUPER HIGH for this one. Marley actually gets the enema and I'm rather descriptive about it. Also mentions of blood, so if that makes your stomach turn, you might have a problem with this chapter.**

**There were a few of you who sent me a few 'try this' suggestions, and some who sent 'what about this' type scenarios, so thank you for that. They've sort of sparked something so I do appreciate it.**

**Also a lot of you have asked if this is going to end up Pezberry. I honestly don't know. Sometimes I feel like it should, and then I read it over and it doesn't work, so it remains to be seen, at this point still.**

**To the two guests who request I do more ageplay stories and to the one guest who gave me full creative control of the type of ageplay story you want, please know that I have read your suggestions and I'm not against them, I just want to focus on this story, before i start anything else. I have an idea of how the story is going to end, I just don't know how long it will take to get there.**

**As always, many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their support and encouragement.**

**Please read and review!**

* * *

><p>At quarter after one, Marley started freaking out. "Mommy," she pleaded, begging Santana to sit with her and hold her.<p>

"I'm right here angel, and I promise you, this isn't going to be torturous," Santana said and sat down on the couch with Marley, pulling her into a cuddle. "You know what baby girl. You're allowed to cry and scream and tremble and shake and all those sad feelings. But I want you to know that it's Mommy who is with you, not Terri. I'm going to be holding you the whole time?" she said.

"How?" Marley asked, her voice trembling.

"Nanny Susan said that Mommy is going to lay on her back and you are going to lay on my belly. You know how we cuddle on the couch sometimes? It's going to be like that, except you're going to have no clothes from your hips down," Santana said honestly. Marley burst into tears just as Santana's phone buzzed with a text from Susan. "I'm not going to let go baby," Santana said gently, checking her phone.

"I'm on my way up now," Susan texted and Santana gave Marley repeated kisses while texting back that she would let her in and be waiting at the door.

"Alright baby girl, I'm not letting go, but Nanny Susan is here, so I have to let her in, do you want to come with me?" she asked. Marley whimpered and gripped tighter to Santana. She'd blinked, but in her position, Santana couldn't see it. "I can't see your beautiful face baby girl," she said so Marley reached her hand up a bit and tapped once on Santana's shoulder. "Alright sweetheart, let's stand up carefully and you can come with Mommy to answer the door," she told her kindly. They made their way to the door and Marley held tight to Santana, resting her head on her shoulder, and waiting for Susan to knock on the door. Once she did, Santana opened the door and Susan smiled.

"Hello Miss Santana, it's so nice to see you again and I assume that this is Marley," she told her.

"Yes it is. Marley baby, can you turn and say hi to Nanny Susan?" she asked gently and Susan held up her hand. She knew that Marley wouldn't be very receptive of her and she was okay with that.

"There's no reason to push Santana," Susan said kindly. "Marley is about to experience something that is terrifying her, I can see it, so I will not push. I want her to go slow and careful. No rushing things," she said. Santana nodded and Susan continued. "Where can I set up my things?" she asked.

"I told Marley that we were going to take care of things in the bedroom," Santana told her and Marley gripped her tighter. "I'm right here baby. I'm not leaving you and Nanny Susan will not do anything that she doesn't think you are ready for," Santana told her as Susan headed to the bedroom. "Nanny Susan is going to explain everything to you while you and Mommy cuddle up tight, and when it's all over, we'll have your yummy shakes, that Papa made you, and then we'll take a nap together, does that sound alright?" she asked. Marley simply cried, she was more afraid now than ever. "Alright baby girl, you're okay. Mommy's here and she's not leaving. We're just going to go into the bedroom okay?" she asked.

"Mommy, fi-ah pee," she whimpered softly.

"We can do that sweetheart, let's get teddy bear too, okay?" she asked soothingly and Marley simply cried. "I know baby, I know, I'm so sorry my love," she told her and gathered the nearest pacifier and Teddy Bear and then they went into the bedroom. "You are my very best girl Marley and we're just going to cuddle. We're going to lay down in bed and cuddle okay?" she said gently.

The two girls went into the bedroom and Santana carefully laid down pulling Marley on top of her and she simply rubbed her back and let her take her time in calming down. "You're my sweet baby girl Marley, and no one will ever hurt you again. I am so proud of you, because you are so brave and so strong, and Mommy knows how scared you are right now," Santana told her.

Marley nodded and turned her head to the side, so she could see the wall and not the doorway. She didn't want to know when Susan was coming into the room. She just wanted to hear Santana's heartbeat and have it all be over with. She heard Susan enter the room and speak kindly.

"Hi Santana," Susan smiled and she walked over to the bed. "Hi Marley, you can call me Nanny, no need to add my name. I know that S's are hard for you and I have two in my name, so right now, you can just stick to Nanny, but if your mouth hurts, you don't have to say anything at all okay?" she asked and Marley wiggled her hand to Santana's and tapped her finger once on Santana's palm.

"We talk through blinking and tapping sometimes. Marley tapped my finger once, which means yes. In this case, yes she understands," Satnana smiled. "However my darling, you cannot not be rude. It would be much better if you looked at Nanny Susan," Santana lectured.

"While you're Mommy makes a very good point, I understand how frightened you are Marely. Just keep in mind that Mommy is with you and that I will not hurt you," Susan said kindly and Marley wiggled her hand that was closer to Susan. She tapped once on Santana's shoulder and let out a soft whimper.

"That's wonderful," Susan smiled. "So Marley I'm going to explain a few things to you. You let your Mommy know if it's too much at any time and I will slow down if you need me to," she said and Marley started to cry harder, her entire body shaking.

"Shhh, I'm right here baby. I know you're scared, but it's going to be okay," Santana said wrapping her arms over Marley's back and squeezing her just a little bit tighter. She cooed softly and Susan waited a few moments. Marley's body was absolutely rigid and this was definitely going to hurt if she didn't relax a little.

Santana was torn between wanting to look at Susan, who was seated on the side of the bed and wanting to look at Marley, who had now grabbed Santana's hand so tightly, she could feel both their pulses. "Marley, can Nanny tell you about herself?" Susan asked and Marley tensed further but tapped Santana's hand once, so Santana nodded. "Thank you," Susan said. "Let's see, where should I start? I've known your Mommy for four years now. When I first met your Mommy I had two little boys who were age nine and I had just gone through a very messy divorce," Susan explained and Marley stopped looking away. Something didn't sound right, Susan was a mother? How could Susan be a mother and still work with Santana.

Marley turned and stared at Susan, her eyes so swollen, red, and so puffy from crying, that they were barely open. Her mouth opened and closed a few times and Susan waited. Clearly Marley had something to say that she didn't know how to communicate it properly. "Mommy?" she asked Susan.

"I'm right here love," Santana said rubbing Marley's back, in the long slow loving strokes that she always used when she was trying to calm and reassure her little girl.

"Mommy?" she asked again.

"Yes, Marley, I'm a Mommy. I have two little boys. Twins. Only now they are stinky teenage boys. They just turned fourteen," she told her.

"Man, I'm getting old," Santana laughed.

"And they are taller than your Mommy," Susan said and Santana groaned.

"Now, I'm really old," she laughed.

"Marley honey, I know you are scared, and understandably so. You can cry and scream, but if Nanny does her job right, then you won't be in pain any more, and Mommy was telling me that your body hurts a lot," she said and Marley nodded slightly. Susan watched her start to regress even further and so she matched her tone with Marley's mental age. "So Nanny brought some things to help you out, and Nanny sees a lot of little girls and boys who need this all the time. They get their tummies twisted up in knots, in pain, and Nanny has had to give many many enemas over the course of her life time to help them feel better. It's why your Mommy asked me to come see you today," she said.

Marley just let tears slowly roll down her cheeks. Her belly was killing her, but she didn't want this to happen, it was going to be so painful, she knew it, and she didn't understand why she had to go through all that again. "I'm right here baby girl, I'm not leaving you, I promise. It's just you and Mommy and Nanny Susan this afternoon. I would never let anything bad happen to you," Santana said gently, dropping little kisses to the top of her head every few words.

"Marley, your Mommy is going to hold you and I'm going to show you what I'm going to use on you. I'm not going to do anything just yet, I'm just going to show you what I'm going to use, that's all. Are you ready for that?' she asked. Marley blinked once and let more tears roll down her cheeks and sniffled. Susan had a small bag next to her feet that was out of Marley's vision. She smiled and reached down to pull out a small packet of tissues. "This is for you. I'm sorry you're so sad and so scared Marley, and I want you to know that you can cry and scream as much as you want," she told her. "Hopefully though, if Nanny does her job right, you're not going to scream at all," she said and as she spoke she opened up the pack of tissues and pulled one out, putting it in Marley's hand carefully, but Marley didn't budge, she was too scared. So Santana took the tissue and helped Marley dry her eyes and clean her face a bit.

"You're okay my baby girl, and I'm right here, I'm not leaving you sweetheart," she told her and went back to rubbing her back. "I love you my baby girl, I love you so much and you are being so brave," she told her. "Do you know that Mommy loves you and would never hurt you?" she asked and Marley nodded her agreement. "Thank you for trusting me baby girl," Santana said. "Let's see what else Nanny Susan has okay?"

"I'm going to pull out everything at once and then we're going to explain it all to you," Susan said and she pulled out a yellow hose, a clamp with a clear plastic part and she could see a red ball inside the little coil, a large red bag, and a small white tube that had many tiny little holes in it. "This is it Marley. These four things," she said and Marley watched in fear as Susan got a strange look on her face. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I forgot two things," she said and pulled out a large tube of KY Jelly and a big white fluffy towel. "That's better," she said. "Let's see, the first we're going to go over is the towel. "It's a big white fluffy towel. Do you know why Nanny has this?"

Marley didn't answer, or tap, or blink, mainly because Marley didn't care. She didn't want Susan there at all, if she was going to be honest. "Well I don't know, so I'd like the explanation please Nanny," Santana said and Susan smiled.

"See, in order for you to get an enema, you need to have no pants and no diaper and Nanny knows that sometimes when you have an enema, things leak, so we put the towel under you to catch any leaks," Susan explained. "I'd like to get you out of your clothes now while you cuddle with Mommy. Then Nanny will be sure to put a blanket over you to keep you warm, while Nanny explains the rest of these things," she said and Marley looked at her in confusion before turning to Santana.

"Mommy?" she asked.

"Yes my baby?" Santana asked brushing her fingers gently over Marley's cheeks and forehead, knowing it helped calm her.

"On?" she asked tugging at Santana's shirt.

"You want Mommy to take her shirt off?" she asked and Marley shook her head.

"No, Mine," she said.

"You want Mommy to take off your shirt? You'll be very cold sweetheart, are you sure?" she asked and Marley worried her lips between her teeth for a moment trying to figure out how to communicate what she meant.

"Day coh," she said. "ahder, ha," she said speaking slowly.

"One more time baby and then if I still don't understand I will get your blocks, this is important that we communicate correctly, I don't want you in the dark about any of this," Santana told her.

"Ahder," Marley said signing the word water.

"Yes water," Santana said.

"Owie?" she asked.

"Marley, can Nanny tell you about the water?" Susan asked and Marley nodded slowly. "See the water is going to come out of your bathroom, so it will not hurt and it won't have anything in it. It's just going to be very very warm. Do you know what your body temperature is supposed to be?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no. "A normal body temperature is supposed to be a little above ninety eight degrees, because of that, we make the water a little bit warmer than that. It's only slightly warmer than when you take a shower," she said.

"We actually give Marley a bath every night," Santana smiled, gently petting Marley's long brown hair, to help calm her.

"That's even better, because that means that she knows exactly how it feels on the outside, so all that warm water is going to go inside instead of outside this time," she explained.

"No baba Mommy," Marley cried and Santana took a deep breath.

"It's not a baba sweetheart. It's an enema, and it's not going to hurt you. All Nanny Susan wants to do right now is take off your sweatpants and your diaper, put a towel under you and a blanket over you. That's the first step, that's all we're doing," she told her and Marley just cried against her. "I'm going to tell Nanny to start sweetheart. Mommy's right here and nothing is bad is going to happen to you," she assured her.

"Mama," Marley cried.

"Mama's at work baby, but we can call her, if you really want to talk to her," Santana said.

"Mama pee," she cried.

"Alright, I will call Mama as soon as Nanny gets you undressed and covered up with a blanket," she told her. "My sweet baby girl, I love you so much," Santana told her and Marley held tight to her Mommy and just cried while Susan carefully stripped Marley of her sweatpants and her diaper. She slid the towel under the diaper, but didn't remove it. She'd take any extra absorption she could. Marley's muscle tone was stronger than it had first been, but she'd read the file and she didn't know if Marley'd body would hold on to any water, especially with all the impaction she had in her bowels.

Un-taping the diaper allowed Susan to see small traces of mucous and blood in the seat of it and she frowned. Santana caught it and gave her a curious look. Susan thought for a moment but shook her head no, she would discuss it later. It wasn't important at the moment. Susan covered Marley's lower half with the blanket but Santana reached over and pulled it up so Marley could see parts of it as well. It was six feet long and Malrey was scrunched in such a position that this was easily done, without disturbing anything. Then she reached for her phone. "Alright baby girl, let's call Mama," she said and it went straight to voicemail.

"Hey, it's Rachel, leave a message," Marley heard.

"Hi Mama," Marley said sadly and once she finished, Santana quickly took the phone back.

"Every thing is fine, you're just missed. Call us when you get this please," she said and put her phone away. "Okay, now shall we go over more information?' she asked her and Marley simply whimpered and held tight to Santana. "Alright baby, let's practice some colors and letters," she said and she picked up the KY tube. "Maybe Nanny Susan can help us," she said and Marley pushed her pacifier back in her mouth working to calm herself down, feeling her breath hitch in her lungs. "Okay baby girl, what letter is this?" she asked.

"Kuh," Marley said around her pacifier.

"Very good, and this one?" she asked her giving her a kiss.

"Eye," Marley said softly.

"You are one of the smartest little girls I've seen all week. I had three little girls at my job over the last two days and they didn't know any of their alphabet, and they're as old and as tall as you are," Susan praised her and Marley gave a genuine smile.

"Marley is very smart," Santana agreed.

"So you know this tube? This is KY jelly and that is lubrication, do you know what that means?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. Susan gently took the tube from Santana and opened the cap. She put it aside and then got in front of Marley. "See this?" she asked trying to make a little circle in between her thumb and index finger and it looked very difficult. "See sweetheart, when your skin is dry and you just push something on it, or try to push something into it, it hurts, so what we have to do is make it not so dry. That's what this is for," she said and squeezed a small amount of jelly onto her finger and Marley watched as the rubbing and circular motion became very easy. "I'm going to put some on Mommy's fingers so she can show you and then we're going to put some on your fingers, so you know what it feels like," Susan explained.

"That sounds nice," Santana smiled and gave her hand to Susan. She did the same thing to Santana that she had done for herself and Santana's smiled. "See baby? It doesn't hurt and it's very simple, let's try it on you now okay?" she asked. Marley nodded but tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You give me your hand whenever you're ready honey," Susan told her and Marley held tight to Santana, giving her hand very carefully to Susan, reaching it out from under the blanket. Susan put a small bit on her finger and Marley was shocked that it wasn't cold at all.

"Wahm'," Marley said softly around her pacifier.

"Yes, Nanny has a little heating pad in here to make sure things are kept warm. It is never a good idea to put cold gel like this on your skin. It could hurt you and I think if I hurt you, even by accident, your Mommy would have me sent to prison," Susan smiled and Marley looked to Santana for confirmation.

"I would. No one hurts my baby girl. Remember when I yelled at Mama because I thought she wasn't doing right by you?" she asked.

"You yelled at Rachel?" Susan asked.

"I did. We actually scared Marley and it was a big fiasco, but I thought Rachel wasn't doing right by Marley, so I protected her," Santana said.

"You have made up since yes?" she asked.

"Yes, we have," Santana smiled.

"See sweet girl, your Mommy loves you and I would never do anything to make her think I was hurting you, which is why we are explaining everything to you. Now, the gel on your finger. Nanny is going to put some on her finger and rub it over your little opening in your bottom. Technically it's called an anus, but you can call it whatever you want," Susan told her. "I'm not going to do that yet. First I'm going to finish explaining everything and then before I rub anything on your bottom, I'm going to rub it on your arm. I want you to feel it in a place that doesn't scare you. I also want you to know it's okay to be scared. The more you know, the more you relax, the more you let me help you, the less it will be uncomfortable for you, I promise okay?" Susan said and Marley sucked harder on her pacifier.

Santana rubbed her back and let her be for a moment before picking up the yellow hose and asking Susan what it was. "That is the hose. One end goes in this bag," she said showing it to Marley. "We put one end in the bag and the other end goes to this little pipe," she said holding it up. It's so the water passes through from the bag to the pipe and then into the body."

"Marley what color is the bag?" Santana asked her.

"Ed," Marley said slowly.

"Very good, and the hose?" she asked her.

"Eh-woah," she said. The pacifier wasn't going to leave her mouth and Santana and Susan weren't going to force the issue either.

"You are so smart Marley, I'm so impressed," Susan said. "I can see that Mommy works with you all the time. It must be very frustrating at times, but I saw a little boy yesterday, he can't say any other color than red," Susan said. She was trying her hardest to talk to Marley about younger things. She wanted to make sure Marley was in a head space where she was most comfortable and relaxed, it was crucial to getting this done with minimal hysterics.

"My baby girl is the best girl. Mommy loves her so much, even when she's naughty," Santana said kindly.

"What happens to baby Marley when she's naughty?" Susan asked simply.

"Tie ow," Marley said blushing a little bit.

"Yes, baby Marley gets a time out if she's naughty, but she's a very good girl most of the time, so time outs are very rare," Santana smiled. Then she picked up the hose and wiggled it a bit, showing Marley how flexible it was. "It's very small, does it deliver a lot of water?" Santana asked. She knew exactly how it worked, but she also knew that Marley wasn't going to ask any of the questions, so she helped out.

"No and this here, this is a clamp," Susan said holding up a clip of some kind.

"Marley baby, what's that?" Santana asked, pointing to a small red ball in the little plastic coil section.

"Bah," Marley answered.

"Look at Mommy. Say ball," she told her kindly enforcing the L sound.

"Bahhh," she tried. She hated L's and S's and T's, they still bothered her a great deal.

"Yes it is, you are so smart Marley," Susan praised. "That ball shows me how fast the water is going through the hose and the pipe and therefore into your body. Do you know that you should never let water go very quickly into you. It can hurt you and if you push it too fast it makes people feel sick," she said.

"Go oh?" Marley asked removing her pacifier and Santana said a silent thank you prayer. Marley may not say all the right words and she may not be able to communicate properly at times, but she was smart and she was starting to learn that the way Terri had done it was dangerous and painful.

"Yes baby, Nanny has to go very slow," Susan told her. "If I don't go slow, then you'll be in a lot of pain," Susan told her, "and I would not want that for such a sweet little girl who is in a lot of pain already," Susan told her. "So what we do, is Nanny goes into the bathroom and fills up this bag with nothing but warm water. The hose is going to go in one end and the other will go in this little pipe."

"Where does the pipe go?" Santana asked and she felt Marley tense. The pipe seemed huge to her but Susan smiled.

"I want you to hold this baby, can you hold the pipe for Nanny?" she asked and Santana smiled. It was that same quick shift that Rachel seemed to be able to do, as well as Kurt. She didn't know if she did it, even though Rachel and Kurt assured her that she did. It was the shift that went from talking to Big Girl Marley and changing her tone and her voice to talk to Baby Girl Marley. It was designed to make things simple, gain her trust, help her relax, and let her know it was safe to ask the questions in any form she chose.

Marley took it and then looked at Santana in confusion. "Off, Mommy" she said.

"Is it soft? Let Mommy feel baby," she said and Marley handed it over. It wasn't soft, but it was flexible. The semi hard rubber pipe was designed to work with Marley's body and bend if it needed to. They knew there was rectal damage and Susan didn't want to make anything worse by forcing what wouldn't go, so she chose a more flexible pipe. "It is very flexible yes, did you know that it's because Nanny Susan wants to be gentle with you?" she asked.

"Baba fo'h bad gahs," she said.

"That may be, but this is not a baba, what you're having is an enema, can you say that for Mommy?" Santana asked and Marley shook her head no. "Yes you can silly girl," Santana smiled and pressed two little kisses to the tip of Marley's nose eliciting a small giggle from the younger girl. Marley wiggled a bit and returned the same gesture to Santana. "Thank you baby. Will you try please?" she asked her.

"Eminem," Marley said.

"Very good Marley," Susan praised.

"No," Marley said sadly.

"No? Not very good? I thought you said it beautifully," Susan told her and Marley laid her ear to Santana's chest and cried. "Shhh, you're alright sweetheart, you did a good job and Nanny is very proud of you. I know this is scary for you, I know it's not easy, and I know you've been working very hard at getting better," Susan told her.

"Mommy," Marley said and she burst into heart breaking sobs, her entire body trembling as she laid on Santana and tried to grip tighter to her. There was now a lot of pressure on her belly and her body was trying hard to expel what it didn't want or need in side it any more, so that was adding to her pain and she was definitely humiliated. She hated that she had no control over her body.

"You know what? Nanny Susan can go get everything ready while you and I calm down. We'll be ready before Nanny even comes back, I know the bag takes a while to fill," Santana said.

"No, first I have to rub it on her arm," Susan said. "Marley honey, I know you're scared, but listen to Nanny please. I'm going to rub some of the gel on your arm. Just as I will on your bottom, I want you to feel it so you aren't surprised honey," she told her. Marley just sobbed, but gave her arm to Susan and turned her head away, not wanting to look. Susan rubbed it on her arm and Marley didn't budge. If she was honest, she barely felt it. She was so scared though, Susan was going to be surprised if Marley honestly felt anything at all.

"Shhh, Mommy's here baby, you're okay. I would never let anyone hurt you and I promise you that after this, you're going to feel a whole lot better," she assured her. Marley simply cried.

Susan did what she had to and then returned to the bedroom, wearing a rubber glove to be a little more sanitary about things. "I need her knees bent up next to your hips," she told Santana. Santana reached down and very gently pulled Marley's knees up one at a time. It was a position that Marley didn't like, because she thought something terrible was going to happen and she set to crying immediately. The only difference now was that, this time, her knees were bent to expose her bottom and Santana was holding her. When she was with Terri, her knees were bent to expose her bottom, a heavy bar was across her ribs, and Terri was being anything but gentle.

"I'm right here baby girl. Mommy's here and you are very safe," she assured her.

Susan watched with a sad smile and gave Marley some time to get used to the position and calm down some more. She put a ton of gel on her finger and using one hand, spread Marley's bottom cheeks apart, applying lots of gel to the sensitive area and Marley screamed, out of fear. She thought she knew what was going to happen, even though Susan was cooing at her, and speaking gently to her, explaining what was going to happen, as it happened, while Santana gave her lots of kisses.

"Alright Marley, Nanny is going to put the pipe inside baby. Not very far, just enough to get some water into you," she said and Marley shrieked in fear. Susan put the small pipe in very slowly and Marley held her breath, waiting for the shoving to begin, that was how this worked, she was sure of it. "Breathe for Nanny Marley, just keep breathing and this will all be over very soon," she told her and held the pipe in place, waiting for Marley to get used to it. After a full two minutes, she fixed the valve and the warm water started to flow into Marley, but she didn't even feel it.

It trickled into her slowly and within thirty seconds brown water started to leak back out into her diaper and Susan sighed. She'd been afraid of this. Marley was so impacted that she was going to have to start and stop and the poor girl was going to be a mess. "Santana my love, we have to move this to the bathroom," Susan said and Santana gave her a curious look. So Susan knelt next to the bed and began to explain.

"Marley honey, you don't need to look at Nanny, but I need to know you are listening sweetheart. Marley shook her head no held tight to Santana.

"Okay, tell me," Santana said, and she smiled when Susan began petting Santana's hair and speaking to Marley, even though Marley made it clear that she didn't want any part of this discussion.

"Alright, well we waited a little bit too long. That means there is a lot of stuff inside Marley's body and it's stuck. The water is helping, which is good, but she's going to have to sit on the toilet and I'm going to remove and insert the pipe a couple of times," Susan said and Marley burst into hysterical sobs. Susan was going to fuck her with the pipe just like Terri had and Santana was going to let it happen. Susan looked at Santana who looked ready to cry herself. "I've done this to you love, and I know she's scared, but if I don't do it this way, she's going to have to go to the hospital, she's getting sick from this," Susan explained.

"Mommy, done, aw done, no mo, Mommy," she wailed.

"Shhh, I know baby, I know you're scared and it's okay to be scared but if we don't do this, you're going to feel so much worse," Santana said. She very very carefully sat herself up once Susan removed the small pipe in Marley's bottom. Marley hadn't even felt it, she was so upset about what was happening. "And there's no way for me to hold her on the toilet right?" Santana asked.

"One time, I had a little boy sit on my lap. I was able to get the water in and out of him, while he held on to me, but he had to expel into the bucket that was underneath him. So yeah, it is possible, but she won't be on a toilet and I don't think that's a good idea right now," Susan said. With a heavy heart Santana agreed. Marley screamed as more water leaked out of her along with some waste and Santana recoiled slightly at the noise, but quickly regained her composure.

"I know baby, I'm so sorry. Mommy's right here and I know you're scared, but it's okay," she said and placing one hand under Marley's bottom, making sure that the towel was firmly in place, and wrapping her other arm around Marley's low back, she lifted her up and carried her to the bathroom. "Mommy's here, you're okay." She sat her down on the toilet and then looked to Susan. "What do I do Nanny?" Santana asked.

"Rub her belly. Gentle clockwise circles, just to help push out whatever is in there still," she said. A small stream of water came out and Susan waited for a few moments wondering if Marley was going to pass something else. When she didn't, Susan spoke kindly. "Marley baby, we need to do another round. Very gentle, just as we did before and Nanny is going to put more gel on you too so it won't hurt," Susan said and then she looked to Santana. "Have her back on your belly, it'll work the best," Susan said.

"Okay baby girl, come lay on Mommy," Santana said and she very carefully maneuvered them to the floor. Once they were lying down, Susan took her gloved hand, added more gel to Marley's bottom, the pipe, and very gently slipped it in.

Marley didn't scream, but she did cry out. 'I know sweetheart, I know, I'm so sorry," Susan told her honestly. She was used to whimpering little boys and girls, it came with her job and babies and little ones fussed, usually a great deal. The difference was, they had asked for everything to be done to them, because it turned them on. Marley didn't ask for any of this. She put her head on Santana's chest and started to mumble softly, her tears and sobs garbling her words.

"Shhh, what do you feel my sweet girl, tell Mommy what you feel, so I can help you," she told her.

"Owie, no owie, no bad, no mo, aw done," she cried.

"She's afraid Santana," Susan said and Santana nodded.

"Shhh, calm down baby girl, keep yourself calm and just breathe and then tell me what you really feel baby. Just calm down, breathe for Mommy," she said and then her cell phone went off. Susan ran to get it, handed it to Santana and Santana smiled when she looked at it. "Marley, look it's Mama," she smiled.

"Mama," Marley said softly, lifting her head up and looking pitifully at Santana.

"Hello?" Santana answered. "Yes, good luck," Santana said and she held the phone to Marley's ear.

"Hello my sweet baby girl," Rachel said.

"Mama," Marley cried.

"Oh no, what's the matter baby?" Rachel asked with great concern, her heart aching that Marley was so upset.

"Mama done," she pleaded.

"Mama's almost done with work baby girl and as soon as I am, I'll come home and be with you and Mommy and Papa," Rachel said.

"No, now, Mama now," she cried.

"Shhh, Marley calm down, tell Mama what's going on," she said kindly.

"Eminem," Marley cried.

"Thank god," Santana said to herself, happy that Marley had changed the word herself. She hoped it meant that they got through to her, that she understood this was different and only because she really needed it.

"I know, I remember that you were getting one today. I wanted to be with you, but I had to come to work. I bet you are being very brave though. I know that Nanny Susan is with you and Mommy, and that you're only getting this because your body needs it, so you don't end up back in the hospital," she said.

"Mama, pee done," she pleaded.

"I wish I were baby, but it's still going to be a few hours," she said and while the two of them talked, Susan continued to let the warm water flow into Marley's body. Marley wasn't even aware that it was still happening or that Susan was speaking softly to Santana who looked like she was ready to have a heart attack, based on Marley's pleading alone.

"You do know, she has no idea it's happening right? As soon as I help you get her back onto the toilet and she gets rid of all the water inside of her, she's going to feel so much better and look better," Susan told her kindly.

"And how do we stop this from having to happen again?" Santana asked.

"You just have to alter her diet a little bit, that's all. Add a little more fiber and a little more water and she should be fine," Susan said. "And when all is said and done, I have a little surprise for her," she said.

"Is it going to make her cry?" Santana asked protectively.

"No, you silly little girl," Susan laughed.

"Mama, home," Marley pleaded into the phone, truly not paying any attention to what was going on with her body.

"I promise baby girl as soon as I'm done with work, home is the first and only place I want to be," Rachel told her. "I have to get back to work baby. Will you be okay with Nanny Susan and Mommy?" she asked.

"Mama, pee home," she said sadly.

"Where are you baby?" she asked her and Marley whimpered. She just wanted Rachel to be home to hold her. "Mama pee" she begged pushing the phone to Santana, realizing she wasn't going to get her way.

"Hey," Santana said taking the phone back.

"Is she really okay? My heart is breaking for her."

"She is, she's just scared, but she's nearly done having it. All the water went in while she was talking to you, she wasn't even aware of it. I think she's waiting for something more to happen. Cruelty, or roughness perhaps, but you know that won't happen," Santana said.

"Give her kisses for me, and I'll try to get home as soon as possible," Rachel said and they both hung up.

"Marley honey, all the water is in, do you feel okay?" Susan asked and Marley just cried. She didn't know how she felt. She just knew she had more pressure in her stomach than she wanted to have.

"Mommy," she said looking at Santana.

"What baby?" Santana asked kindly petting Marley's face gently.

"Owie," she said and then she put her head back down on Santana's chest, trying to hear her heartbeat.

"Should we maybe try going potty?" Santana asked her gently.

"No done, aww done'," she cried pitifully.

"As soon as we get you on the toilet and you get rid of all that water, yes you will be all done, I promise," she assured her. They got Marley up on the toilet and she started to cry fresh tears.

"Shhh, you're okay baby, Mommy's right here, and we're almost done and then we'll go lay down and rest okay?" Santana soothed.

"Marley baby, I don't want you to push okay. Just let the water flow out on it's own and then if we have to rub your belly to help out the rest of the water we will okay?" Susan asked gently.

"Mama," Marley cried.

"Mommy's right here baby, she hasn't left," Susan said kindly.

"No, Mama!" Marley yelled crying harder and dropped her head, heart wrenching sobs wrecking her body.

"Marley Rose, there will be no yelling at Nanny Susan like that," Santana said seriously. "Apologize to Nanny," Santana told her sternly gently lifting her chin with her finger. "I know you're scared," Santana said slowly and kindly, "but you do not get to yell at anyone like that, you know much better," she said.

Susan looked to Santana with approval. There had been a little girl at the club two days prior, who hadn't been taught this lesson and proceeded to scream and yell at everyone, including Nicole, just for the simple sake of doing so.

"Aw-wy," Marley cried as a little bit of water leaked out of her and into the toilet.

"Mama is Rachel?" Susan asked.

"Rachel has been the only one to rub her belly so far, to relieve the pain," Santana explained.

"Shhh, okay baby, okay, calm down, look at Nanny sweetheart," she coaxed gently, not touching her, knowing it would make it much worse if she did. "Marley honey, thank you for your apology. I have something else to tell you though. Nanny knows how to rub bellies too. I can teach Mommy and we can let Mommy do it okay?" she asked and Marley just sobbed. Her tears came faster and harder as the water started to come out of her body followed by a lot of solid waste that had been stuck inside her and she cried in humiliation, pushing out what her body didn't want, something Susan had told her not to do. She also fell a bit forward, curling into herself, causing more pain in her back, and starting to hyperventilate slightly.

"Okay, okay, okay," Santana said and she got in front of Marley and forced her to focus and breathe. "Shhh, look at Mommy, you're okay," Santana soothed and as she did Susan left the room.

"Puh," Marley sobbed.

"It's okay, just don't push too hard, that's all honey and if Nanny has to teach me how to rub your belly that would be okay right?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Should Mommy go get Teddy Bear?" she asked.

"No, Mommy," Marley said and she leaned forward into Santana, wrapping her arms tightly around her. She just wanted her Mommy to hold her.

* * *

><p>Marley stayed in the bathroom with Santana for thirty minutes before deciding she might be done and then she looked at Santana. "Mommy, no mo owie," she said.<p>

"All done?" Santana asked with a kind smile. "Alright, sit there a minute, let me flush the toilet and then we can clean you up. Nice and gentle just like always," Santana promised and Marley nodded.

"Owie," Marley whimpered softly.

"Alright sweetheart, let me call Nanny Susan and ask her a question okay?" she asked gently cupping her face and rubbing it gently. "You're okay baby, I would never let you be in trouble and I know that the enema took a lot of energy out of you," she assured her. "Nanny Susan, can I have some help please?" she called and Susan showed up a moment later.

"Yes?' she asked.

"Marley thinks she might be done, should we get her ready to rest, or does something more need to be done?" Santana asked. She hadn't given an enema to any of her clients in a long time and she left before Miss Mercy finished her session the other day. She felt at a loss. The two insertions had been torture for Marley, even though, she wasn't complaining about having them done anymore.

"I'd like to try rubbing her belly before she goes to lay down," Susan said and Marley immediately whimpered. "Marley baby, can Nanny rub your tummy?" she asked and Marley let tears fall rapidly down her face and shook her head no. The no was the honest part, the tears were because she was afraid she'd disappointed her Mommy and all she wanted to do was be held now. She just wanted her Mommy to hold her, cuddle on the couch, and maybe suck on her pacifier. "Alright Marley, I won't touch. I'm just going to tell Mommy and Mommy can touch you," she assured her. "I'm going to do it on Mommy, okay? I won't touch you at all baby and I won't hurt Mommy either," she assured her.

Santana stood up and lifted her shirt and lowered her pants and underwear a bit, so that she was nearly as exposed as Marley was. "Alright Santana, it's always a clockwise motion and we start small, right above her belly button and just go gently and then make the circles bigger and bigger as you go, but always clockwise," Susan said and Santana nodded and grabbed some lotion.

"Okay baby girl, nice and slow, just like Nanny said, okay?" she said and Marley started to cry. "What's wrong sweetheart, you can tell Mommy anything you know that," Santana assured her.

"Nye nye, Mommy," she cried. "No owie, Wan' Mama pee," she cried and Santana's heart broke. Part of her was glad that she wanted Rachel and the other part of her hated that she wasn't the one to bring relief to her little girl.

"Alright baby girl, alright. First we have to make sure all the water is out of you, then Marley can go night night, that's okay," Santana assured her. "Mommy will rub your tummy, just to make sure you're okay, and then we'll go rest on the couch. You will drink your shake and rest with Mommy and as soon as Mama comes home, you can cuddle with her, okay?" Santana said gently.

Santana gently worked on Marley's belly and pushed out a lot more water and waste than she thought was possible and Marley was sweating by the time she finished. After ten minutes, they finished and Marley was whimpering softly. Her head was starting to hurt a lot more than she wanted and she didn't know why. "What's wrong sweetheart?" Santana asked her.

"Owie," Marley cried grabbing lightly at her head.

"Alright sweetheart, let's get you a quick shower and then we'll go lay down and cuddle like I promised. Would you like that baby?" she asked. Marley nodded and leaned forward holding tight to Santana. "I'm going to ask Nanny for help so I can hold you baby, is that okay?" she asked and Marley nodded. "You are my best girl Marley and Mommy loves you so much," Santana told her.

As they cleaned her up, Marley hung on tight to Santana. "Nye nye Mommy, pee," she begged.

"Yes baby, we're going to get you all cleaned up and into clean clothes and you can take a nap on the couch," Santana told her.

* * *

><p>Marley was cleaned up, put into fresh clothes, and then Santana took her to the couch. Marley's ear immediately found it's way to her chest and she whimpered softly, her tears had stopped by this point, but she was still taking shuddering breaths, trying to calm down. "You're doing so well Marley, I am so proud of you my love," Santana told her.<p>

Susan cleaned up the bathroom and the supplies and then went over to the couch. "You're all set to go lovelies," she smiled and she moved to sit on the coffee table with a little stuffed toy in her hand. "Marley baby, you did so well today and Nanny brought you a little something. This is for you my love. You did so well, and Nanny is very proud of you. This is yours now. Mommy told me that you liked your teddy bear, and I'm glad you do, but I thought that maybe your teddy bear would like a little friend, so I brought you a little panda bear," she said handing it to her. "You can do what you want with it, but I want you to know that this is a reward for your wonderful behavior, and your trust in Nanny today. I'm so proud of you," Susan told her. "Now, I'm going to head out, but I'm going to give Mommy a kiss before I leave," she said and Marley nodded, not getting tense at all as Susan leaned in and kissed Santana's cheek.

"Thank you," Santana told her sincerely. "Can you say thank you Marley?" she coached her kindly.

"Fayn koo," Marley whispered, staring at the panda bear's black rings around it's eyes and wondering why Susan had been so nice to her.

"You are very welcome love, can I give you a kiss too?" she asked her and Marley simply nodded yes. She felt Susan pet her hair, and then lean in, kissing her lightly on her temple. With a few more pets to her head, Susan left them alone.

"Mommy?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"What's up baby?" Santana asked as she lazily combed her fingers through Marley's soft hair.

"Hun'ree," Marley said softly.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone,**

**I had a really good day yesterday so you all get a bonus chapter today.**

**Warnings for this chapter: Marley has her period so there is full discussion of blood and warmth and all that icky stuff we women deal with at times. In Marley's case it is worse, because she hasn't had to deal with it for quite some time. There are also mentions of rape, so if you are triggered easily, you have been warned.**

**As always, thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their support & encouragement. Also please review if you haven't in a while.**

**Also lastly, can someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE EXPLAIN to me how this views thing works? I have over 3000 reviews for the first chapter of this story and everything else is WAY less than that. HOW does that happen? Does it mean that people are just viewing the first chapter over and over and over again? I really don't understand and would like to.**

**Happy reading!**

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><p>Kurt had beat Rachel home and was more than happy to fuss over Marley. He fed her dinner, and cuddled with her on the floor, while playing with her toy piano while Santana took care of some emails for work.<p>

"Can you sing with Papa?" he asked Marley and she looked at him with a mix of curiosity and disgust. "Your Mommy gives those looks too," he teased her and she let out a genuine smile. "Oh wait, before we sing, maybe you tell me, who is this?" he asked pulling up the new stuffed toy. He knew he hadn't seen it before.

"Panda," she told him with a smile and she pulled it to her chest and hugged it tight.

"Where did Panda come from?" he asked her.

"Um, Nanny," she said softly, blushing with embarrassment.

"Nanny Susan brought you a toy, that was nice of her," he said and then he dropped the subject. Marley seemed confused. This family was so different from what she'd come from. Terri used to fixate on things. She pushed and worked and prodded and insisted until Marley was a screaming mess and if Marley didn't cooperate fast enough for Terri's liking she got spanked. The worst she got in this house was a time out. She wasn't sure why, but time outs with people who she hoped loved her, were worse than spankings with Terri. "Alright, would you like to sing with me?" he asked and she smiled and nodded at him. "Good, Papa will show you first and then we can do it together," he told her and she nodded. "These are scales, so we just sing up the scales and then back down the scale. Mama does acrobatics with her scales, but I don't know if we should jump straight into that," he smiled.

Santana emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas, and smiled as she watched Kurt and Marley run some scales. She was going to interrupt them earlier, but they looked so peaceful, so she decided to leave them alone and take some time to herself with a shower. Marley had a beautiful voice, soft and sweet, a little bit like Rachel's, but not as powerful. "Sing like this sweetheart," Kurt told her. "Ma-ah, May-ay, Me-ee, Mo-oh, Moo," he sang and Santana had a flashback of high school.

"You're teaching her cow exercises?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"Moo," Marley giggled looking at Santana. She was feeling much better now. Lighter. Her body evacuated a lot of the waste it had been holding inside of her, she'd had a decent sized snack, and a two hour nap, all before Kurt had come home. When she finally did wake up, she was very happy and bubbly, something Santana was very glad to see.

"You are so beautiful my love," Santana grinned and she walked over to her and

cuddled up with her. "Will you sing it again?" she asked her gently and Marley nodded, looking to Kurt, so he could play the scale for her. She sang the scale softly and Santana smiled. "Yaaay Marley," she praised her and gave her a quick squeeze.

"Mommy ing?" Marley asked her.

"No," Santana said simply and Kurt couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Mommy can most definitely sing," he said.

"Uh huh, Mommy ing me nye nye," Marley said and she looked to Santana with big brown pleading eyes.

"Yes, Mommy sings you lullabies and we sing to you to help you calm down and focus, but Mommy is not singing to you now," she said.

"Peeeeee Mommy," Marley pleaded.

"Marley my love, there is something you don't know about Mommy," Kurt said and Santana shot him a warning look. "She's a very stubborn woman, and when she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't," he said. "But maybe, you and I can convince her," he said. Marley turned to him and smiled, liking this idea. He moved in front of her and took her hands. "We'll sing and work on your flexibility, okay?" he said and she pouted at him. She didn't like that Santana singing, meant she had to do therapy exercises of some kind. Kurt picked up hands and placed her thumb of her left hand to the pointer finger of her right hand, inverting her right hand slightly. Then he connected the left pointer and right thumb and held them together gently, knowing this position was sometimes difficult for her. "The itsy bitsy spider," Kurt started to sing and Marley giggled. She was definitely ready to go into a deeper little girl space. She turned to look at Santana and Santana smiled and gave her a kiss.

"Ing Mommy," Marley said, breaking Kurt's hold and pulling Santana's hands up encouraging her to do it with her. Marley actually didn't mind this game. This game made it easier for her to hold forks and spoons, so that she could feed herself.

"Alright," Santana sighed, "I will sing with you baby, let's practice your words some more," Santana encouraged, so Marley took a deep breath and while Kurt and Santana sang quietly, Marley sang and practiced her words.

"Da ibby, bibby pie-da, wen' up da wah-da pow, down came da rain an wah da pie-da ow. Ow came da 'un an' 'ried up aww da rain an' da ibby bibby pie-da wen' up da pow again," she sang softly and Santana immediately, leaned sideways and kissed her cheeks repeatedly.

"You did very well baby and when Miss April shows up in two days, we'll tell her all about how well you are improving," Santana told her kindly.

"I agree, I think you did very well and I am very proud of you, but I'm going to grab a shower before Mama gets home and spends hours in there," Kurt said and kissed Marley's cheek, before heading off.

"Mama home?" Marley asked Santana.

"Not yet my love," Santana said and she cuddled her baby girl tightly. "Soon though," she assured her.

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour later, Rachel came home and Marley was cuddled up against Santana but reached for Rachel. "Hey big girl," Rachel smiled taking a seat and Marley very carefully climbed her way, with help, into Rachel's lap. Marley sat down and put her head immediately on Rachel's shoulder.<p>

"Oooh, I missed you today," Rachel cooed sweetly, hugging her baby girl and rubbing her back gently.

"Mommy?" she asked. "Fi-ah pee," she said.

"That was very polite baby, here you go," she said handing it to her and Marley took it but then started to lean a bit and reach for Santana. "You just sat on Mama's lap are you sure?" she asked her and Marley let out a little whimper. She opened and closed her hand a bit carefully waving Santana to get closer and when she was finally close enough, Marley kissed Santana's cheek, put the pacifier in her mouth, and went back to resting against Rachel.

"So how was your day?" Rachel asked kindly and Santana rolled her eyes slightly. She wanted to open up to Rachel, but Marley was awake and so she didn't want to say anything that would upset her. "Well," Rachel said catching Santana's hesitation, "Mama had an interesting day, did you know it takes two full minutes for lights to burn out on a stage? And they are loud as hell. I think I nearly went deaf," she said and the two women sat and conversed while Marley rested. She was nearly asleep and Rachel and Santana's voices were starting to get very distant, until a pain took over her body. Marley pushed back and started crying immediately. She curved her body, painfully forward, pressing her forehead into Rachel's shoulder and rounding her back out behind her, putting intense pressure on her hips. She let out a whimper and Rachel tried to adjust her, but Marley fought against her and started whining. "What's wrong baby?" Rachel asked kindly.

"Mommy, owie," she said and Santana sighed. Marley had been so calm and she was hoping she'd stay that way at least until the morning. They'd spent all morning freaking out, all afternoon having the enema, and Santana was hoping for a break for the evening. It didn't quite work that way.

"Shhh, calm down love, Mama and I will help you to the bathroom," she said kindly and with Rachel's help they went into the bathroom. Marley held on to Santana and Rachel undid the diaper, revealing a deep orange strip all along the seat of the diaper and Marley looked down in horror, crying even harder.

"No bud, no bud," Marley screamed, and she went from relatively calm to absolutely hysterical.

"What happened?" Kurt asked running in toward the bathroom knowing the sounds Marley was making were ones of pure fear.

"No Papa, NO!" Marley screamed and she started shaking uncontrollably. "I good, I good, Papa, pee, no no no," Marley wailed.

_"What's this?" Terri asked and she dragged her finger down along Marley's sensitive skin, pulling her finger back, finding it coated in blood. "Is there a problem?" she asked and Marley wasn't sure how to respond. Terri pushed her legs back as far as they would go and Marley felt a little twinge in her tail bone. "You better listen close sweet cheeks," she said pinching her cheeks as hard as she could. "I found us a Daddy and he's all up for your slutty little games, but babies do not bleed. If I see any blood, any at all," she said trailing of and Marley didn't know what to think._

"Kurt, go away please," Santana said kindly.

"Well can I at least get you something to help out?" he asked.

"No, I think we're good, but don't run away, because you have to babysit in two days, and I can't leave if she's afraid of you," Santana said. Kurt nodded his agreement and Santana went back into the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and Marley screamed bloody murder as a small blood clot, leaked out of her and fell onto the floor, causing a small mess on the tile.

"Marley, look at me baby," Santana said getting in front of her and petting her face while Rachel held her up straight and Marley wiggled around.

"No no no, good, no bud, no, baby, no bud!" she cried tears flowing quickly down her cheeks.

"Shhh, look at Mommy," Santana insisted and Marley just continued to cry, trying to stop herself, causing her lungs to burn. "Look at Mommy and breathe sweetheart, come on," Santana coaxed, but Marley wasn't focused at all. She struggled to catch her breath and gasped so hard for air that her stomach lurched. She wasn't talking any more, she was just gasping for breath. "Sing Marley," Santana said moving in close. "Sing with Mommy," she said in her best Mistress voice in order to get Marley to listen.

"Look at Mommy, come on," Rachel coached and she wrapped her in a tighter hug, ignoring the fact that another small blood clot had leaked out of Marley's body and fell onto Rachel's foot. "Come on baby, sing with Mommy," Rachel said and pretty soon Santana and Rachel were singing, but Marley was still struggling to breathe. Marley's lungs burned and she finally let out a rush of air, her body going weak and fell forward a bit. Santana caught her and held her close, rubbing her back and patting her gently. Marley was in full fledged panic attack mode and there was nothing that any of them could do about it, they just had to ride it out.

Marley was washed up and changed into a clean diaper and new pajamas, and carefully brought back into the living room. Her teeth were chattering and her body was so tense that she was sitting perfectly straight on the couch, not even bothering to cuddle. "Come on baby, you're okay. We're all here. I know you had a very long and trying day. Maybe Mommy should have had you in bed sooner, yeah?" Santana asked gently, trying to get Marley to communicate, but Marley was having none of it. Marley looked down at her hands and saw them shaking. She didn't know what to make of it though, and now that she was a "big girl" she was sure they were going to take away all of her "baby" things. No more games, no more pacifiers, no more blankets, no more cuddles or lullabies, and no more diapers. She would have been glad to be out of the diapers, but she couldn't figure out how to control her bodily functions, so she was going to be one giant hot mess until her period stopped.

"Mommy," she managed to squeak out.

"I'm right here baby girl," Santana soothed. "Look, where's Teddy Bear and Panda?" she asked looking around the room. Rachel caught on and grabbed Teddy Bear and sat down next to them, but she didn't know what Panda was. Kurt however did, so he picked up the new stuffed toy and sat down next to Santana and Marley started to shriek. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down," Santana scolded softly, pulling Marley as tight to her has she could and kissing Marley's temple.

"No, no bud, baby. No bud. I baby Papa, no bud, no bud," she whimpered and fell into Santana crying heavily. It was so much stress on her body that the very little amount of water that was still in her colon, along with the waste, came out of her body, along with some warm blood, and she couldn't help but throw up all over Santana.

"She so needs to relax," Rachel said and although it stunk, they had to move carefully. Most of what Marley threw up was bile, but now, she had to be changed again, Santana had to change, and they needed to get Marley calm so they could clean up her face. "You go change, we'll clean her up," Rachel said kindly.

"Gentle," Santana said sternly and with some reluctance, she did get up to go clean herself off. Marley screamed when Santana left and Rachel sighed.

"Look at Mama baby, you're okay. Mommy just went to get clean while Mama and Papa clean you up," Rachel said gently and Marley continued to scream. She didn't know what was going on and she couldn't seem to hear anything. All she could hear was her own heartbeat and she was completely terrified of what might happen.

"MOMMY!" Marley wailed.

"She's coming love," Kurt said and he held her tight, but Marley kicked and wiggled and screamed trying to get away from him. He had a good grip on her, but she started to fuss and cry harder, and wiggled her way out of his arms and went down to the floor, trying to get away from them, causing herself nothing but more pain and because of that, she let out a blood curdling scream.

"Marley Rose, that is enough!" Santana said sternly as she reemerged from the bedroom, in clean pajamas. She found Kurt and Rachel surrounding Marley, who was freaking out. "Marley Rose, look at Mommy," Santana ordered and she had to say it seven times, before Marley finally focused in on her. "Now, that is enough. Mommy is going to get you cleaned up and then you and I are going to bed. You have had a very long day, and it's time for sleep."

"No bud Mommy, no, I baby, no bud," she cried.

"Shhh, stop baby. Listen to Mommy. We are cleaning you up, and then we are going to bed," Santana told her.

"Mommy," she cried.

"Yes, Mommy. Did you hear what Mommy said? It's time to clean up and go to bed. No more staying up. Mommy and Marley are going to bed," she told her and Marley's face absolutely crumbled. Santana frowned but was able to get closer and pull Marley up close to her.

They were both standing and Santana tried to sway slightly with Marley in her arms, just to give her some movement of some kind of action to focus on, while she rubbed her back and spoke softly into her ear. "Shhh, Mommy and Marley are going to bed now baby. Can you say night night to Mama and Papa?" she asked her gently and Marley just cried. Rachel and Kurt both gave her a kiss goodnight and Santana took her into the other room. Once she was set, Santana had her lie down on the bed and she pet her face gently. "Calm down baby. Mommy's here and we're going to sleep," she said.

"Mommy," Marley cried struggling to sit up and hold on to Santana. "No bud, no bud, pee Mommy, baby, no bud, no," she cried.

"Shhh, calm down," Santana said and she had to gently force her to lay back down, putting her head on the pillow. "Shhh, deep breaths baby. Marley has to go to sleep and Mommy has to go to sleep, because we had a very long day, time for bed," Santana told her kindly. "Shhh," she coached but Marley was too wound up to sleep so Santana thought for a moment.

"Should we play a quiet game before bed?" Santana asked gently. "Let's see, let's play Marley's favorite game. What is Marley's favorite game?" she asked her and Marley struggled to get her breath and tell her. "Shhh, just breathe. I'm not rushing this baby, calm your breathing and tell Mommy when you're ready," Santana assured her, petting her face in strategic places, trying to get Marley to relax.

Finally Marley calmed and looked at Santana. "Nye nye?" she asked.

"Yes, we're going to go night night. Mommy and Baby Marley had a very long day, so we need to sleep, but we can play a quiet game first," she assured her. "Let's play I spy, should we play that game?" Santana asked pulling the blanket up and holding it so they could both see it. "Let's play baby," she said. "Mommy will go first okay?" she asked her keeping her voice so soft and gentle, she didn't sound like herself, but to Marley that was her Mommy. That was the woman who had been protecting her since she'd been rescued all those weeks ago. "Let's see. I spy with my little eye, something that is a cold dessert," Santana said. "Can you find it for me sweetheart?" she asked.

Marley looked around the blanket and finally saw the ice cream cone. She pointed to it and Santana grinned. "Very good my love. Can you tell Mommy what it was?" she asked.

"Eye key-mm," Marley hiccuped.

"Very good," Santana praised. "Do you know what kind of ice cream?" she asked her and Marley smiled slightly. It was her favorite flavor but saying the word was too much for her. Santana continued to pet her face and spoke gently. "Can you tell Mommy the color?" she asked.

"Peak," Marley said softly.

"Very good my baby girl, that was very good," she told her and Marley's eyes flooded with tears. "What's wrong angel?"

"No bud, no bud Mommy, I baby, no bud" she cried, her tears falling slowly, even though her anxiety levels were still through the roof.

"Shhh, breathe Marley. Mommy's here and you are safe. It's just time for night night," Santana said lying down next to her. "I just need my baby girl to calm down and go to sleep and Mommy will cuddle with you. I will always cuddle with you baby girl. Mama and Papa will cuddle with you too," Santana told her.

"No Mommy, no bud, no bud. I baby. I good, no bud," she pleaded.

"Shhh, Baby Marley is a very good girl," Santana told her. "Mommy's baby girl is so good, and so smart, and so special, and so tired, so we need to calm down, maybe play some more eye spy and go night night," Santana explained, trying to keep her language young. Marley was caught between her adult self and her baby self and Santana could see her struggling.

"Ana, no bud, no bud," Marley cried.

"Shhh, Santana is right here sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere, but you have had a very long and trying day. I promise you as soon as you sleep, things will be better in the morning, but we have to go to sleep first," Santana said trying to stay patient and calm, keeping her voice kind.

"No bud," Marley whimpered.

"Sweetheart, there is nothing I can do about the blood. You are not in any danger, and I am most definitely not mad. I just need you to calm down and try to sleep. I'll stay with you," she said kindly.

* * *

><p>Santana emerged from the bedroom two hours later. Marley was finally sleeping and Santana snuck out long enough to sink down against the wall and put her head in her hands. Kurt walked over and gently put his hand in Santana's. "Do you want to talk about it?"<p>

"No," she said angrily.

"Do you want to punch something?" he offered.

"Terri would be a good start," she grouched.

"I agree," he told her.

"She's in there having a panic attack," Santana sighed.

"So you left her?" Kurt asked, because that didn't sound like something Santana would do at all and she looked at him with pure anger and a little bit of hurt in her eyes at his question.

"She's sleeping. She was having a panic attack," Santana said and with no notification, she burst into tears. All the pressure had built up. All the tension and pain and anger and frustration had been building up inside of her for too long now, and it just brewed inside of her, until it bubbled over and she let it all go.

Kurt moved in and pulled her close. "Hey, hey, hey," he said kindly and he kept her close. "Do you remember in high school, you told me that Auntie Tana was going to take care of things. You figured out a way to get the upper hand over that Sebastian guy. You know how to get things done Santana. You are amazing at that. Whether you are Santana Lopez, Auntie Tana, or Marley's Mommy," he assured her. "Which means that somehow you will figure out how to get the upper hand at this," he said.

"But I don't know how to do it this time," she said honestly.

"Which is why Marley has a Mama Rae and a Papa, so that her Mommy is not alone," he said and Santana rolled her eyes. "Look, I know we didn't sign up for this. I know that you thought you were on your own completely and we are just putting on a show, but I can assure you, that Rachel and I are not acting any more. As bad as you say we are, we have and had you fooled," he said with a smirk.

"You wish you were that good," she said with a slight bite to her voice, but Kurt could tell it was playful.

"We actually are, and we fooled you. We're here with you, to help you, so let us help you," he said wrapping her in a hug.

Rachel walked over and knelt in front of Santana resting her hands on Santana's knees. "Do you remember a long time ago when I had my little scare and you held my hand and helped me out?" she asked her and Santana nodded.

"This isn't like that though," she protested.

"No, you're right, this is different, but us helping you, that's not different at all, so do whatever you need to do, and then let us help you," Rachel told her seriously.

"Only the best Mommies, take time out for themselves every now and again, including letting someone else watch your little girl every so often," Kurt told her.

"She is afraid of you now," Santana told Kurt looking at him seriously.

"Kurt isn't scary though," Rachel said.

"No, he isn't. He's Lady Hummel, and no one is afraid of you, except for Marley," Santana told them. "You aren't scary. You actually are good for her, and you've helped her as much as Rachel and I have, but she is, without question, afraid of you, and that is not something I can even begin to think about handling."

"So we're back to trust issues then," Rachel said. "All it means is we have to rebuild her trust with Kurt, and the only way to figure that out is go into her file and read as much as we can."

"I can't stand it any more."

"It's like an onion Santana. We have to peel back the layers until we get help you get her healed and I hate to tell you this, but some layers of onions make you cry a little harder than others," Kurt said.

"I hate onions," Santana said honestly. Her friends helped her up to her feet and then she grabbed the infamous blue folder and she sat down to study, while they kept an eye on Marley.

* * *

><p><em>"Marley, I know you can hear me, so I'm just going to ask you a few questions," Doctor Holiday said. "Do you think you can try talking to me?" she asked and got a very timid response. The tape recorder was set down in front of them and Holly began speaking. "Okay Marley, my name is doctor Holiday, and currently you have been put under heavy hypnosis. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, but as you do not communicate with us, while you are fully awake, we had to try a different route," Holly said. "Marley, do you know how old you are?" she asked.<em>

_"Nineteen," Marley said softly. In her state of hypnosis, she was simply calm and answering questions. She wasn't off in her head somewhere and it made it easier for Holly to communicate with her, but she still had to be careful._

_"Do you know where you came from?"_

_"Terri's house," Marley said wincing a bit as her tongue touched her teeth. The sores were still very prevalent and Holly knew she had to be careful. The hypnotic state was only going to last for so long._

_"I see, and did Terri give you rewards?"_

_"If I was good, she wouldn't hurt me as long. She would stop if I screamed quickly," Marley said softly and slowly._

_"What if you weren't good?"_

_"She just kept going."_

_"Was there something that Terri didn't like in particular?"_

_"Blood. She hated blood. She said babies didn't bleed, so she gave me pills to take."_

_"Can you tell me what would happen if you did bleed?"_

_"One time, I bled a little bit and she had that one guy rape me. He pushed hard and fast. She said I deserved it, because I was acting like a woman, and woman were to be fucked. Babies had gentler games they played. It all hurt," Marley said. She was on autopilot though. Her voice was monotone and her small frame that normally shook was stone still._

_"Thank you for telling me that Marley," Holly said._

Santana closed the folder, went to the sink and threw up. "Okay, now that I know why, someone else fix it, because I really don't know how," she said angrily. Rachel and Kurt went to say something, but Santana continued. "I know why she's scared of Kurt, but I don't know how to fix it. It doesn't seem possible, and I mean this without offense, but man am I glad you're gay," she rambled.

"Wait, that's it, does Marley know that?" Rachel asked.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked and took the offered glass of gingerale Kurt had waiting for her to help settle her stomach.

"Okay, so based on that. Terri saw blood and suddenly Marley wasn't her 'baby' so she had the guy, whoever he was, rough her up more right?" and they both nodded. "Okay, so if she has her period now, which she does, she must think that we think, she's not a baby any more since she's a woman."

"She is a woman," Santana said.

"Yes, biologically, she is, but she wants to be a baby sometimes or a little girl, or whatever it is, and Terri made her think that means no periods," Rachel said.

"We can't do that to her. Big deal that I'm gay, she doesn't care about that. She just knows that her getting her period means she's going to be, well I can't say the word," he said honestly.

"So then we just keep reassuring her?" Rachel asked. "I mean I'll clean up diapers and vomit and all that gross stuff, but wouldn't it be better if she didn't have to go through that?" Rachel asked.

"There is no solution," Santana said angrily.

"Keep your voice down, she is still sleeping," Kurt scolded protectively.

"There is no way to fix this. I can't stop her from having her period. That isn't healthy, and that means that for the next however long she wants to be our baby, she's going to freak out like this once a month. That's too much stress, and tension, that she doesn't need," Santana yelled.

"Stop yelling," Kurt scolded.

"I don't know what else to do!" Santana barked.

"Barking is worse," he said calmly. "Maybe I just have to sit with her and talk to her. Tell her I know what happened and assure her, that it won't now. You two can tell her to your blue in the face, but you don't have the same parts that I do," he said and Santana gave a smirk and started to say something. "Toys don't count!" he scolded quickly, before she could say anything.

"Fine, but you don't tell her tonight. Tonight she gets to sleep and we'll deal with this shit in the morning, or next week for all I care," Santana said.

* * *

><p>It was two in the morning when Marley's screams rang through the house and Kurt was the first one to her. "Let me," he said to Santana.<p>

"Have you slept at all?" she asked yawning and helping Marley to sit up.

"No, and I think this will help our little dilemma, just you sit there and shush, so I can talk to her," Kurt said and he got on the bed, behind Marley and cuddled her close. She shrieked again and Kurt put his lips to her ear, wrapping his arms around her middle, being careful not to squeeze too hard. "Shhh, listen Marley, listen to Papa Kurt, you're okay," he assured her.

She fussed and wiggled and Santana spoke quietly. "I have to change her," she said.

"Why?" Kurt asked.

"Because she's probably covered in blood and while she can sit in it, I don't want her to," Santana said getting up and gathering a new diaper and some cleaning cloths to make sure Marley was all set. She'd been in the diaper for several hours now and Santana was guessing she was a heavy bleeder, especially, since she'd been on birth control for so long.

"Alright baby girl, listen to Papa," Kurt said gently. "Do you know that Papa Kurt is talking to you?" he asked and she wormed around and cried against him. "Shhh, it's only Papa sweetheart. It's just Papa Kurt and we're not going to go on, until I know you know it's me. It's only Papa baby, come on, focus in and listen to my voice sweetheart," he cooed to her and she burst into tears.

"MOMMY!" she screamed.

"Okay baby, okay, Mommy's coming, she's coming right back, it's just Papa sweetheart. It's just Papa Kurt," he tried and she continued to cry.

"No frightening my child," Santana scolded playfully.

"Mommy!" Marley cried and she tried to lurch forward.

"Shhh, yes baby, it's Mommy," Santana assured her sitting down, fully prepared to change Marley while Kurt held her. "Should we get you changed baby?" she asked her gently.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea. Mommy can hold Marley and Papa will change her," Kurt said.

"No, I good, no bud, I good, I good, I good," Marley cried.

"Shhh, yes you are Marley, you are a very good girl and I bet your are uncomfortable, so Papa is going to change you, to make you feel better," he explained and Santana shot him a warning look. "It's just Papa Kurt my love. It's just me and you are now and always my sweet baby girl, no matter what happens, but I have to change you, so you feel cleaner and can get back to sleep," he tried and she burst into a fresh round of tears.

"NO!" she screamed. "NO NO NO! NO bud, NO NO NO!" she screamed kicking her heels a bit and trying to get away from him. Santana was surprised Marley had any fight in her at all.

"Okay, that's enough," Santana said and she stood up and moved to Marley's side. "I know you mean well, but get out. This isn't going to help her. You get out, I'll change her, and tomorrow we will try again. I won't be able to handle it if she throws up," Santana said seriously and then softened. "It's very late and I'm too tired to argue, and I just want us to go back to sleep, all of us," she told him, "and you told me, that you haven't slept," she said kindly and Marley screamed as more warmth flowed out of her.

"No, no, no, I good, I good," she wailed and Kurt spoke kindly.

"Marley, it's okay, Papa's going to bed, you're okay sweet girl," he told her backing out of the room.

Santana caught his arm and kissed his cheek. "You're a good person Kurt, and you're a wonderful Papa," she told him honestly.

Santana went back to bed and spoke softly. "Marley, look at Mommy baby, look at Mommy, you're okay, we have to change you sweetheart. I want you to lie back for me baby. I have to change you, that's all baby. Let's put you in a clean diaper baby, can you lay still for Mommy?" Santana asked gently. "I just need you to lay still for a little while so Mommy can change you baby, okay?" she asked kneeling on the bed, at Marley's hips.

"No bud Mommy," Marley pleaded.

"I know sweetheart, I know. I know you don't like the blood. It's okay, Mommy and Mama don't like it either."

"I good, I good," she cried.

"Shhh, look at me sweetheart. Look at Mommy," Santana said and she waited. "You are Marley. You are our best girl Marley, and no matter what happens, we will always love you," Santana told her. "Mommy's going to change you and then we can go back to sleep," she said on a yawn.

"Mommy," Marley cried.

"I'm right here baby girl, we're just going to change you, that's all," she assured her, speaking gently and kindly as she got her changed. "Come on angel, let's go back to sleep okay? Do you want Mommy to sing to you? Should we cuddle and sing?" Santana asked.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello Everyone,**

**Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a wonderful week. Today's chapter is about trust, Marley dealing with her period, and exploring a little bit more of the baby things Marley thinks she's interested in. Specifically Sippy Cups. I will say that I googled this myself, the company is real and the product is real too. If the description I posted doesn't quite make sense then I would suggest you google it. Sometimes, I don't always make it sound correct and I know this.**

**Oh yes, and there are MENTIONS of rape, so if you have triggers, be warned.**

**As always special thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their inspiration and support.**

**I hope you all have a wonderful day and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review if you haven't in a while.**

**Be well friends.**

* * *

><p>Santana woke up around seven, because at that point Marley was awake and crying. Marley's body was killing her and she wasn't sure why. It was just a lot to handle and warmth flowed out of her body into her diaper. It scared her even further, because she hadn't felt that sensation in quite some time and now it seemed to be constant. She was simply crying at this point in time and Santana sighed softly. "It's alright love, Mommy will get you changed and then we can go have breakfast okay?" she asked and Marley just cried, only settling down when she was in a new diaper and standing on her feet, hugging herself tight to Santana, trembling a little bit.<p>

"You're okay my baby girl. Let's head into the kitchen and have breakfast okay?" she asked her gently and Marley simply cried. "Shhh, you're okay baby. Let's sit down and have breakfast. We'll make Marley some waffles with syrup and strawberries," Santana told her and Marley simply continued to cry. "Shhh. You're okay, we're just going to take you into the kitchen," Santana told her and as she walked her into the kitchen, she kept up a steady stream of gentle words. They made it to the table and when Santana went to sit Marley down on the chair, Marley hung on for dear life. She didn't want her Mommy to leave her and as soon as Santana tried to disengage herself to help Marley sit down on her own, Marley's simple whimpers became louder cries of desperation. Her hands were clawing at Santana to stay with her.

"Shhh, I can't hold you and get breakfast ready baby. Can you sit for a few minutes please?" she asked gently and Marley just cried holding tighter to Santana, and now trembling so violently, Santana could hear her teeth knocking together. "Mommy's right here baby, I'm right here, you're perfectly safe," she assured her.

"Mommy," Marley cried, pleading to stand up, finally making her way back to her feet, her body screaming in pain, and resting her head on Santana's shoulder, holding tight to her, her lower body locking into cramps. She didn't care about the pain, she just had to hold on to Santana and not let go.

"Good morning," Rachel said kindly. "Need any help?" she offered noticing how rigid Marley's body was. Her calves were cramped so badly that Rachel could clearly see every major muscle outline. It hurt just to look at it.

"Mommy," Marley cried and she gripped tighter.

Rachel raised an eyebrow and Santana rolled her eyes. "Shhh, you're okay baby girl. Mommy's still here and I'm not going anywhere far. I just have to cook breakfast for us. You're okay my love," she told her.

Marley was having none of it and Rachel watched as Santana struggled emotionally with what was going on. Marley had to relax, Rachel understood that well, but she was in such a young mind frame at the moment, she was working herself into hysterics. "Alright, alright, Marley, look at Mommy," Santana said gently. "Why don't you sit with Mama and I will get us breakfast. I'm not leaving you baby, it's just time to cook."

"No! Mommy!" she cried.

"Shhh, okay, okay, you have two options baby, you can sit with Mama and I will cook breakfast, or you can sit here and watch Mommy cook," she told her.

"No, Mommy," she cried and she gripped so tight, that her nails dug into Santana's skin and Santana yelped in pain. This did not help matters at all and Marley went into further hysterics, falling down to the floor and having a hissy fit. Rachel went to move in and Santana stopped her.

"No, you come with me, help me cook," Santana said and Rachel looked at her curiously.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Did you just question the Mommy?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"I'm just concerned that she's going to throw up again," Rachel said honestly and tiredly, and then she sort of fell into Santana, resting her chin on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around Santana's waist. "Plus, I'm tired of cleaning up puke," she whispered.

Santana laughed and kissed Rachel's temple. "I'm tired of it too," she assured her. The two of them whipped up pancake batter and Santana nudged Rachel gently. Marley was curled up in the corner, not focused on anything specific. "She's in her head," Santana whispered.

_"Where are you little one? Where's the pretty little girl? Where's the baby, who's going to make her Daddy happy and relaxed?" a voice cooed. It wasn't friendly. He was coming and Marley was hiding. "Is baby playing hide and seek? Daddy loves to see his baby after a hard day of work. Come on baby," he said and he sounded happy, but Marley was terrified. She knew what was happening to her body. She'd been on birth control for a two weeks now, but she was still spotting as her body was regulating. The blood was found in her diaper an hour ago when Terri changed her and she'd been spanked for it. She'd been paddled and the bruises that were left behind, were hurting her at the moment, but it was nothing compared to what was about to happen when he found her. "There you are precious," he cooed and before Marley knew what was happening, she was on her back, on a bed, somewhere in the house. "I know," he whispered. "I know you're not being a baby. I know you want to be a big girl, so now you get to see what happens when Daddy plays with his big girl," he growled in her ear._

The scream went through the house and Marley wet herself at the memory and she threw up. Rachel stood at the counter and wiped her eyes, pulling out the paper towels in order to clean up the mess. Marley sunk into herself, crying heavily, and screaming in pain. "I can't," Santana said looking just as lost as Marley was. Santana was absolutely exhausted and out of ideas. She didn't want to admit it, but she needed help.

"Then you're on clean up duty," Rachel said and she squeezed Santana's hand and went to take care of Marley. "All right baby girl, up we go,' she told her lifting her to her feet and holding her tight. She brought her to the bathroom and washed off her face. Once she was clean, they made their way to the couch and Rachel began a very one sided conversation with Marley. She picked up Panda, the blanket, and a nearby pacifier before sitting down and pulling Marley tight to her body. Kurt had told her something a few days ago about the nervous system and how firm pressure was actually a good tool in getting an anxious person to calm down. "Look baby, look what Mama has?" she cooed sweetly. "Who is this? Who is Mama holding?" she asked, holding Marley tight to her chest with one arm and Panda in the other. Marley tucked her head under Rachel's chin, something that was no easy feat, but it made her feel safe, and Rachel wasn't going to force Marley out of that, unless it was absolutely necessary. "Can you tell Mama sweetheart? Can you tell Mama who this is?" she asked her gently.

"P.p.p..pp...pan...da," Marley stammered.

"Panda? That's a good name. I haven't met Panda yet. It's nice to meet you Panda," she said talking directly to it and glancing at Marley who was starting to calm down some more. "Panda is very sweet and tiny, just like my baby girl, but I think that Panda is very sad," Rachel said. "Do you know why Panda is so sad baby?" she asked Marley and Marley whimpered. "Oooh, what was that?" Rachel asked and Santana watched from the kitchen, slightly entertained by the heartbreaking scene before her. Watching Rachel bond was amazing. Seeing Marley terrified of her own shadow was terrible. "I heard something, did you hear that," Rachel asked with her voice pitched higher and softer than it usually was and Marley shook her head no. "I did, Mama heard something," Rachel insisted kindly and she tucked her head a bit. "Oh no, Marley did you hear that? Panda looks so sad, do you know why that is?"

Marley wasn't quite into opening up yet, so Rachel just continued. "I think I heard Panda cry," she told her and Marley whimpered softly. "Why is Panda crying baby? Did he tell you?" she tried and Marley started to calm down a little more. "Do you hear him baby? Do you hear Panda crying?" she asked her gently.

"Panda C'y?" Marley asked having slipped pretty deep into her little girl headspace. Santana heard it and frowned. Marley being in little girl land was fine with her, but she would have preferred if she knew who had started screaming when they woke up in the first place. She always felt like she was never really fixing the issue lately and it was becoming increasingly frustrating.

"I think he is, should we ask Panda why he's so sad? Maybe he misses Teddy Bear, are they friends?" she asked and Marley nodded that they were. "Why don't you ask Panda why he's so sad and then you tell me what he said," Rachel tried and she brought the toy close to Marley's ear and eventually, Marley pushed Panda away and then pulled him into her arms cuddling Panda tight to her chest. "Did Panda say why he was so sad baby?" she asked.

"Eff," Marley said softly and Rachel felt relief flood through her body. At least Marley was talking. She may be in a more toddler state of mind, but at least she was communicating and that was half the battle.

"He did, well that's good, because we know that communication is very important isn't it?" Rachel asked and Marley whimpered softly. "Communication is a very big deal, that's what Mommy taught you right?" she asked and Marley nodded slightly, her body relaxing very slightly. "What did Panda tell you? Do you think Panda will tell Mama why he's so sad?" Rachel asked and Marley continued to cry. "Shhh, we have to be calm so we can hear Panda talking to us," Rachel said and Kurt was standing in the doorway to his room, while Santana stood in the kitchen. Rachel was oblivious, all her energy and attention focused on Marley.

"Let's listen baby, maybe Panda will say it a little louder," Rachel said wrapping both arms around Marley and adjusting them both slightly, so they were each in a more comfortable position, yet Marley still felt safe. Rachel leaned back against the couch and Marley kept herself tucked in Rachel's arms but turned to her side, so that she could still tuck her head under Rachel's chin and rest her head on her shoulder and look at Rachel if she needed to. They were quiet for a bit and Rachel smiled as Marley twisted her fingers in and around the little ruffles in Rachel's pajama top.

Marley never did tell Rachel why "Panda was crying", but now she was reviewing her numbers very calmly, and Rachel was praising her for trying to speak so clearly. "Will you count with Mama? We'll go back and forth. You can start," Rachel told her.

"One," Marley smiled as Rachel carefully held up one of Marley's fingers. Rachel said two and Marley tried to say three holding up her third finger. "Ree," Marley said taking her turn. Rachel gave her four and Marley grinned widely. "Five," she said clearly and they continued their numbers, seeming lost in their own little bubble.

Kurt smiled and went into the kitchen. "Let me try," he told Santana softly, reaching to take a plate of food to them.

"Do not hurt my child," she hissed at him as she put the plate together.

"Our child! She's my bear cub too," Kurt said just as protectively and snapped his jaw at Santana. She made a face at him, but gave him the waffles and strawberries as well as a small container of syrup for dipping.

Kurt moved to the coffee table and Rachel smiled. "Oooh, look, Papa has breakfast," Rachel said.

"No, I good, I good," Marley cried.

"Yes you are baby, you are a very good baby girl, and Mama is going to hold you while Papa feeds you, unless you want to feed yourself," Rachel told her.

"I good, Papa I good," she cried.

"Okay, okay, before we eat, let's talk," Kurt said kindly and he set the food aside. "Marley baby, look at Papa, you're okay, Mama's holding you and we're just going to ask Marley simple questions alright? You see, my Marley is a very sweet baby girl and Papa can see how scared she is, so we have to have a little talk, to calm her and reassure her," Kurt said.

"No, I good, I good, Papa I good," she cried squirming in Rachel's lap.

"Shhh, okay, listen to Papa baby girl. Listen to what Papa says, can you do that for me baby?" Rachel asked her trying to get her to focus and she fell quiet, tucking herself into Rachel, trying to get away from Kurt.

"Where's my baby girl?" Kurt asked.

"I know where she is," Rachel smiled. "She's right in my arms," she said gently and Marley screamed in fear. "Hey, shhh, no screaming. Calm down baby," Rachel said gently and looked at Kurt.

"Hold her tighter," he said.

"I don't want to break her," Rachel told him.

"It's just gentle continual pressure. like a really tight hug. The book says that because her nervous system is so overloaded it's scrambling everything inside her brain and she wants to run. In her case that would be fine, if she actually could run. She can't run, she can't even crawl yet to get away, so you have to just hold her tight and let her calm down," Kurt explained.

He waited a few more moments before speaking once he could see she was calmer. "Marley baby, I think you would like to eat. Mommy cooked up waffles and sliced some strawberries for our sweet little girl and if baby Marley wants help, Papa would love to help her eat," Kurt said and they could see Marley struggling. Something wasn't right. Something was different. It wasn't Terri's house and it wasn't Terri's rules and so far she'd been safe, but surely, this had to be the same. Baby girls didn't get their periods and she absolutely had hers, which meant she had to be treated like a big girl, yet they were talking to her as Baby Marley.

"What do you say baby, would you like Papa to feed you?" Rachel asked her gently.

"Ana!" Marley called out and Rachel bit back a sigh. They couldn't show any disappointment on their faces and they knew it, but it was still difficult. It was even harder when Marley went straight to big girl and asked for Santana rather than Mommy.

"Who's Ana?" Kurt asked and Rachel nodded her head toward Santana and Kurt's face fell. Marley had always, always referred Santana as Mommy as far as he knew, so to hear it differently, was heartbreaking.

Santana moved over to the couch and sat down. Marley struggled to get to her and got into her lap with Santana and Rachel's help and rested against her, leaning her head on Santana's shoulder. She had to think so she could ask her question and she had to be in a safe place to do so. Finally she turned her head inward so her lips were near Santana's ear. "Marley, Mommy Santana will hold you as long as you want, but you do have to eat," she told her.

Marley pushed back and looked at Santana carefully. "I big?" she asked carefully.

"Marley sweetheart, I want you to listen to Mommy Santana very carefully okay?" she asked her and Marley nodded her agreement. Santana took the moment to feed her a small bite of her breakfast. "You my darling are a big girl biologically, yes, but there is something that I want to explain to you, slowly so you understand. Big girl Marley is nineteen, so big girl Marley has big girl things happen to her. She's tall and beautiful and has the body of a woman. Do you know what that means?" Santana asked.

"Bud," Marley said sadly and then accepted more food to eat.

"Well yes, it means that Marley gets her period, and unfortunately for you, yes, that means blood. Now, when all big girls, and I mean all big girls, people like me, and Mama Rae, and Nanny Susan, and Miss April, and even that bully Terri, when they are big girls, if there is nothing wrong with their bodies they get their period."

"I baby Ana, bud bad, I bad, I baby," she insisted not interested in eating any more bites.

"No my darling. First of all, you are not bad. You just like some baby things in life," Santana told her.

"No Die-pa," Marley pouted.

"Yes, I know. Those were forced upon you, and that was wrong. When your body is ready and Mr. Joe tells us it's time, then we will start getting you out of diapers. It's okay that you want to be a little girl or even a baby sometimes. It's okay to want those things, and maybe one day, when you have all your letters back you will tell me exactly what you want and why, but I'm never going to force you sweetheart," Santana assured her. "Biologically you are a big girl, but you can always be our baby girl whenever you like," she explained.

"Bud," Marley said sadly.

"Marely my love, wanting the baby things is okay, but your body is not going to stop being the body of a woman. So even if you are forty years old and married to some wonderful person, who loves you for everything you are, and treats you like the adorable, smart, beautiful little girl, you like to be at times, you're still going to get your period. Terri made it stop. That was very wrong and not something she should have done. There is a reason we get them. Stopping them, completely, if your body is normal and healthy, is a bad thing," Santana explained.

"I be baby?" Marley asked.

"If you want to be our baby, yes you can be our baby. If you want to be our little girl, then that's okay and if you want to be big girl Marley, you can do that too. We take our cues from you, but what we don't like, is seeing you so scared and worked up about something that you make yourself sick," Santana told her.

"Tie ow?" Marley asked finally accepting another bite of food.

"No," Santana said with a soft laugh, giving her a kiss. "You don't need a time out. Not for being sick. You only get time outs when you are disrespectful to Mama Rae, or Papa Kurt, or Mommy Santana, or anyone else that you are supposed to be respectful to," Santana explained.

"Nanny?" Marley asked.

"Yes, people like Nanny Susan and your therapists," Santana said but she could see that Marley was still afraid.

"No Papa," she said softly and tears started immediately. He'd been so kind and so gentle with her, but she was so scared of what could potentially happen.

"Well that causes a bit of a problem, because Mommy Santana has to go to work tomorrow and Mama Rae has to go to work and Papa Kurt was going to stay with you and watch movies and play Simon and bake brownies with you," she told her.

"No ayff," she cried.

"Papa isn't safe?" Santana asked. "What do you think is going to happen to you when Papa watches you sweetheart?" she asked her kindly.

"Bad, owie, no ayff," she said sadly.

"Marley baby, will you look at me please?" Kurt asked kindly and he was now on the floor, so that Marley had the upper hand so to speak. In the books he'd been reading, they'd mentioned that height was a big thing. _When communicating with your stubborn child be sure to come down to their level. You are the parent, what you say goes, but coming down to their level to get their attention. Height is a power struggle, when there is a struggle to gain power, moving to their level, takes away the perception of who has the power. As a parent you should be setting boundaries and all children need boundaries. Taking away the perception that the child has no power at all, should reduce the stubborn struggle, at least for a few moments._ Marley turned to look at Kurt, who was now lower to the ground than she was, as he was sitting on the floor, but she stayed cuddled tight to Santana. "Marley baby. I know that I don't get to spend as much time with you as I would like, but Papa has been paying very close attention, so I know how to change diapers, and feed you, and give you a bath, and sing to you, and all those things that Mama Rae and Mommy Santana do for you," he told her.

"No, bud, no ayff, baby, no big, no ayff," she cried.

"Okay, shhh, calm down, just listen to Papa for a minute sweetheart. If you are really scared to be alone with me, then we will respect that, because our sweet Marley was bullied too much to ever be bullied again. I know you have to trust who is with you sweetheart, and I don't know what happened to you at Terri's house, but in this house, Papa loves you. Papa just wants to take care of his baby girl, because he loves her so much. If you want to have Nanny babysit you, instead of Papa, that will be okay," Kurt told her.

"Nanny?" she asked.

"Yes baby, Nanny Susan said that if I ever need to get someone other than Mama Rae or Papa Kurt to stay with you, she will watch you," Santana told her.

"No Eminem," Marley cried falling into Santana, holding on tight to the one person, she really did trust more than anyone else.

"Alright my love, alright," Santana soothed. She rubbed her back and shushed her gently. "Come on. No more talking, now we eat. Tiny little baby bites to start. You can feed yourself, or one of us can feed you," Santana said giving her the choice. Marley turned and wiped away her tears, trying to calm down and then looked to Kurt. She had to try. If she didn't try, they were going to get rid of her, she was convinced of it.

* * *

><p>The day had gone smoothly. Santana had helped Marley into a little girl state of mind and kept her there long enough to have it 'stick', while they explained to her what her options would be happening the next day when Santana went to work. By five o'clock though, Marley was exhausted. Joe had shown up shortly before Santana decided to run to the market and he had progressed her therapies to the point where she was on all fours, over a tiny box, and using her knees to carefully push the box across the floor, effectively crawling. She couldn't crawl very far, but she was much closer to being more mobile than she'd been up to this point. "You are doing so well Marley, I am so proud of you. Pretty soon, you'll be able to crawl anywhere in the house that you want to go," Joe praised her.<p>

"Papa!" Marley called out to him and he showed up pretty quickly.

"Hey sweet girl," he smiled walking into the room to see her on the floor, resting carefully. "How was therapy? Did you have fun?" he asked, knowing that sometimes Marley actually liked therapy and they both waved as Joe left them alone for the evening.

"Papa, I go nye nye," she told him softly.

"You can go to sleep if you want sweetheart, but we have to get you clean first, because you worked very hard in therapy today and I am so proud of you," Kurt told her.

"Baf?" she asked him.

"Yes, a bath, and a snack if you like, and dinner," he told her.

"Papa give baf?" she asked softly.

"Only if you want me to baby. If you are still scared, then I will just get you a snack, until Mommy comes back from her errand. Do you remember where she went?" he asked.

"Um, Mah'ket," she said.

"That's right, Mommy went to the supermarket to get you some more juice, and brownie mix, because we're _all_ having a chocolate craving at the moment," he smiled.

"Up pee," she said reaching up one hand weakly to him.

"That was very polite my sweet girl," he said helping her up and she whimpered when she felt all the sweat roll down her back and warmth leak out of her body.

"Papa," she said crying immediately. He was the closest family she had and the fact that it was a man who was about to be taking care of her, scared her to no end. "Papa, I baby, I good, no bud, I good," she cried.

"Shhh," Kurt said moving in quickly and gathering her close. "Shhh, yes you are baby. You are a very good girl," he assured her, but she just continued to cry. "You're okay baby, you're okay and Papa's right here to help his baby girl with whatever she needs," he told her and she continued to cry. "Shhh, Papa's here honey and pretty soon, Mommy will be home, but if you want a bath before then, Papa will get you started, but we will go slow, as slow as you need," he assured her.

"I good Papa, I good," she pleaded.

"You're a very good girl Marley and Papa isn't going to do anything you aren't ready for. I know you're scared and it's okay to be scared," he assured her. It was the same tone Santana used all the time and he'd heard Rachel use it at times as well. "Marley honey, look at Papa," he told her and she looked at him with tears in her eyes, and they slowly rolled down her cheeks. "Shhh, you're okay baby, you're okay. Tell me baby, who's in control, Marley or Papa? Who makes all the decisions about when we move sweetheart?" he asked her.

"Me," she said.

"Good girl. Okay sweetheart, very good, now tell me. You're just going to let me know when and you're okay with Papa and I know you're scared, so we just go slow and as soon as Mommy comes home, she can take over okay?" he asked her.

"Papa," she cried, not wanting to make any decisions at all.

"It's alright love," he said and he pulled her close and rubbed her back lightly. Her head went straight to his shoulder and she started to shake. "Shhh, keep breathing baby, just keep breathing, and we'll just go slow. Easy decisions baby, just like we used to remember? Should we sit down and have a snack, or should we go into the bathroom?" he asked her, holding up two fingers so she could choose. She didn't choose either one, she simply held on to him and cried and shook. She was terrified and now she was wetting herself, she could feel it, and that made it worse. She let out a cry and hung on to him tightly, crying heavily as her diaper filled up with whatever her body was getting rid of and she had absolutely no control over it.

"Alright, alright, nice and slow baby, let's get you on a toilet and ready for a bath. We're just going to get ready," he told her. He kept her close and realized that undressing her was going to be a bit of a challenge, so he got creative. He rubbed her back and sides, pushing her pants down, inch by inch as he rubbed to keep her calm and then he carefully lifted a foot to help inch her pants down further. Once they got over her hips, they fell down to the ground and she held tight to him, crying from fear more than pain. This was it. Santana wasn't there and as nice as Kurt had been, Marley was convinced he was going to rape her. Her body was showing him, she was a big girl and not a baby. Terri had drilled it into her that baby girls had sex and big girls were ravaged mercilessly.

"I know you're scared baby, I know. Papa's here, you're okay. It's just baby Marley and Papa and we're going to get your diaper off and sit you on the toilet, that's all my love. In fact, we can move you over the toilet and have you sit and then slide the diaper out from under you that way okay?" he asked her and she didn't answer, but shook her head yes. It sounded like a plan Santana would have come up with.

"Mommy home?" she asked softly, tears running down her face, as Kurt knelt in front of her.

"No sweetheart, not yet, but she will be very soon baby," he assured her. "So until she comes home, Papa is going to go extra super slow with his baby girl. Can you tell Papa about therapy?" he asked her and she whimpered, shaking her head. "Sure you can my sweet girl. I missed the end of therapy today, how about baby Marley tells me what she practiced?" he coached, glad that her tears were slowing down and her breathing was still under control. He was going slow and while she felt like crap, it was building her trust and he was very grateful for that.

He sat down on the floor, offering to take Marley's hands and she carefully put hers in his. "You're doing great baby, I'm very proud of you," he assured her. "Tell me sweetheart, do you want to sit on the toilet more, or should Papa run warm water to wash you off?" he asked giving her options.

"Ucky," she told him.

"I know you are baby, and if you want Papa to clean you up, I will, but you have to make that decision, not me," he said. Marley looked pained. She didn't want to make any decisions. She just wanted to be taken care of and as she slipped further and further into little girl headspace, the less she wanted to talk about anything. Kurt was watching her regress right before his eyes and he didn't even realize it. That was the problem though, because he didn't see it, and wouldn't see it as quick as Santana would have which meant Marley started to get more upset.

When Santana returned from the market, she heard Marley in the bathroom crying and Kurt begging her to calm down, trying his best to reassure her that she was safe. However Baby Girl Marley was who he was dealing with and Baby Girl Marley wanted one person only. "MOMMY!" she screamed.

"Marley Rose, do not scream!" Santana ordered from the other room and Kurt felt relief.

Santana walked into the bathroom to find Kurt sitting on the floor, Marley sitting on the toilet, and both of them looked pretty upset. "Santana, this was all her choice," Kurt defended.

"Relax," Santana told him kindly. "Brownie mix is on the counter, and if you could get me a cup her juice, I would appreciate it," she said and he nodded, but gave her a strange look. "She's only about two right now," Santana told him kindly and softly.

"Mommy," Marley cried reaching for her as Santana moved around the bathroom to turn on the warm water

"Shhh, yes, Mommy's here, you're okay, and Papa was here taking very good care of you princess," she told her, kneeling down in front of her and petting her face, breathing with her, helping her calm down. "Now, do we scream in the house?" she asked her firmly and Marley shook her head no, but then leaned forward and tried to grab onto her, needing to be held. "Hang on sweetheart, let Mommy get the water warm for you, then we'll rinse you off and get you a bath okay?" she asked her gently and Marley whimpered softly.

The water came out warm, so Santana brought down the shower head and Marley started crying in protest. "Oh my goodness," Santana said gently. "What happened?" she asked and Marley just cried pitifully, reaching for Santana and nearly falling off the toilet. "Okay baby, okay, I'm almost done and then we'll get you all clean and dressed for bed, and then we'll have dinner, and brownies for dessert okay?" she asked and Marley wormed and wiggled, not wanting to sit anymore, she just wanted to move into Santana's arms.

"Okay, okay, Mommy will hold you baby, but no more fussing. We have to clean up first," Santana told her and helped her into the tub, rinsing her off with the shower head and Marley cried harder when she saw the bloody water go down the drain. She let out a shriek and covered her face in humiliation and started to cry. "Shhh, look at Mommy baby. It's okay, you're okay, I'm not mad at all," Santana told her lovingly. "I'm not mad baby and after bath, we'll get dressed, and get you all nice and cozy, okay?" she asked her.

* * *

><p>They emerged from the bathroom and Marley who would normally face outward while someone helped support her body to walk, was now plastered to Santana's chest, holding on tight, and resting her head on Santana's shoulder as she was guided to the living room where Kurt was. "Someone looks very tired," Kurt said once they sat down carefully and Marley wiggled into a very comfortable position.<p>

"Oh so much," Santana said, and then made a face as Marley wiggled on top of her before finding a comfortable position.

"So the good news is that the brownies are baking in the oven and will be ready for dessert tonight," Kurt said.

"Well that's good, what about dinner?" Santana asked.

"Rachel called, she's bringing home chinese food for everyone," Kurt said and he smiled at Marley who was looking at him carefully.

"Papa," she said softly.

"Yes love?"

"I no bad?" she asked him.

"You are not bad my love. You're a very good girl. Why would you ever think you were bad?" he asked her.

"I c'y in dere," she said pointing toward the bathroom.

"Yes, you did, but you were scared and in pain and probably tired from working so hard in therapy today. You crying does not make you a bad girl Marley," Kurt told her kindly. "If you yelled and screamed and called Papa bad names, that might make you a bad girl, but if you did it because you were scared, we would talk about it, and that would be all. Marley, Papa loves you, for you, not because of what do or don't do. You are our precious girl Marley," he told her and she blushed, smiled, and tucked her face into Santana's chest.

"Oooh, look who got so shy all of a sudden," Santana teased ticking Marley's ribs for a moment and then giving her several kisses. "Listen baby, did Mr. Joe make you work very hard in therapy today?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Alright, well how about you sit with Papa, for a while and Mommy will get you a snack," she said and Marley calmly went to sit in Kurt's lap. The position she had been in was very comfortable and so she fell back into it and Kurt wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently.

"You are my best baby girl Marley, and I love you so much," he said giving her gentle kisses to her temple and she smiled happily. She was feeling rather young, and in that moment, cuddling with her Papa, who simply loved her for the little girl she was, made her feel absolutely amazing. Her entire body felt warm, calm, at peace, ready for whatever might come next, and she trusted. She deeply trusted Kurt, the arms holding her, the steady heart beat in the chest of the person holding her and she let the calm feeling wash over her.

Santana returned with some almonds, and a glass of juice. "Marley, look baby," she said coaxing her to turn her head and look the other way. "Almonds and juice," she told her showing it to her.

"Mommy?" she asked and Santana could see her working on either asking something, or trying to figure something out.

"Yes baby?"

"Raw?" she asked looking at the cup in Santana's hand with no straw.

"I didn't get you one baby. This is cranberry juice and it's a bit tart, just a little bit, it's better to drink big mouthfuls rather than through a straw," she said and Marley carefully studied the cup. It looked glass, so she reached her hand out and tapped it curiously. It felt like glass.

"No, I b'ake it, I no gink," she whined and Kurt bit back his smile. For some reason, Marley's mouth was still having trouble with the dr sound and it game out like a hard g sound, as in good.

"Don't whine baby," Santana said kindly. "You can do it, and Mommy will help you if you need it," Santana assured her.

"I gop it," she whined again.

"You haven't dropped anything in a very long time baby, and I will help you, or Papa can help you, if you like," Santana told her.

"I gonna," she cried slipping into a younger mind set. Santana was beginning to wonder what exactly Terri had said and done to make Marley think being little was more important than other things. She was noticing that lately, when Marley didn't want to do something, or was scared to do 'bigger girl' things, she'd regress to a younger girl state, so she changed her tactic.

"Alright, let's try this instead. First you have another almond and then we're going to go over some pictures," she said. She put the almonds in Marley's hand and then got up to get her iPad and both Kurt and Marley watched with curiosity. "Now," Santana said kindly and she pulled up google. "We're going to look at cups okay?" she asked and Marley nodded silently, not sure of what was about to happen.

"We're just going to look at pictures baby girl. Mommy is going to pull up cups and you're going to tell me which one you like the best. If we can find you a cup, that you aren't afraid to drop, I will order it for you and that will be your special cup okay?"

"That sounds fun," Kurt smiled.

Santana pulled up the pictures and Marley smiled, pointing to a picture of Anna Kendrick. "Peh'on," Marley said.

"Yes, that's a person but she sang a song called cups, so it comes up in the process. Keep looking. Look, you put your finger here and push up so you can see the photos one by one, make sure to look at all of them on this page okay? No matter which one you want, Mommy will get it for you okay?" she asked her.

Marley nodded and scrolled through. She found a rainbow stack of measuring cups and looked at Santana, pointing to them. She didn't understand those cups. "Measuring cups baby, not something you need to worry about drinking from. We need drinking cups," Santana explained and Marley nodded and went back to looking. She went down the page and found some color cups that had grips and nubs and she stared at it for a minute. "Mommy?" she asked pointing to the picture.

"Let me make it bigger then you can ask your questions love," she said enlarging it.

"Ow?" Marley asked pointing to the now more decipherable ridges and bumps.

"Those are grip enforcers baby," Kurt told her and she gave him a funny look. "It's to help hold on to things. In this case, babies can sometimes have a hard time keeping a tight grip on stuff so the grips are to help them hold on to it. They don't hurt at all," Kurt said and she looked to Santana for confirmation.

"Papa is telling the truth," Santana smiled and she leaned in and kissed her temple. "If you want Mommy to order you those, then I will," she told her.

"Baby cup," Marley told her.

"Yes, that can be your baby cup, when you want to be our baby Marley, but just like your pacifiers, if you want to use them just because it'll make you feel more secure, you can," she told her.

"No, no baby aww da time," she said.

"Okay honey, let's keep looking then, maybe there is something else that will work for you," Santana said. A few rows down there was a grown up version of sippy cup from a company called Swiss Miss. They made adult sippy cups. It was a simple wine glass, encased in acrylic with a sippy cup type lid. Marley stared at it and started to blush. There was enough space for an adult to drink out of it, and if she wanted to be a little girl then she could screw on the lid to have it be a little more baby like.

"Mommy," Marley said with a blush, and slight smile.

Santana looked at them and grinned. "I think this is totally doable baby. You can have a normal glass when you want to be a bigger girl and then put on the lid when you want to be in a littler state of mind. I think this is a perfect choice. Should I order these for you?" she asked. Marley nodded, but started to cry, because her body was releasing large blood clots into her diaper and it just reminded her how stuck she was. "Oh honey," Santana said pulling Marley back into her arms and she cuddled in tight, while Santana rubbed her back in a combination of long strokes and little circles. "You're okay baby, you really are, I promise you're okay," she told her gently. As soon as Mama Rae comes home with dinner, we will all sit down to eat dinner, but Mommy would be really really happy if you drank your juice. It doesn't have to be big gulps, and I will help you, but little sips at the very least please," she said and while whimpering, Marley drank half the glass of juice.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everyone,**

**Bonus chapter, because I'm in a good mood. I'm mainly in a good mood because it's a beautiful day out, and I was given extra inspiration for this story. I was starting to get worried, because I'd hit a wall.**

**Warnings for this chapter: Marley is going to work with Santana. She's going to be in an adult nursery. Everything is oversized. Some people get weirded out by this. You've been warned.**

**As always, thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their encouragement and support.**

**Lastly, I'm BEGGING for review now. I can't help it. I know it gets read, but I don't know if you're all actually reading the whole thing and I know this is a touchy subject, so please leave me some type of review somehow. Even if you want to do so by PM. I know it's not professional and I know it comes off needy, but you all know that I was not so sure I should post this in the first place. **

**Thank you all and happy Thursday!**

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><p>Marley had decided that she would rather stay with Kurt while Santana went for her refresher course. He was easier to deal with than Nanny Susan, and she had been relatively well behaved. She had deserved a time out only once, but Kurt didn't have the heart to give it to her, she missed out on one. Other than that, she had been an angel for the ninety minutes that Santana was gone.<p>

Today, however, four days later, had been a particularly rough day for everyone. Marley had four tantrums and was now taking her fourth nap of the day while Rachel was watching tv. Rachel leaned back on the couch to look over when the door opened and smiled when Santana walked in, corset cinched tight into place and her hair pulled back into a tight bun. Santana didn't wait, she walked over to Rachel and stretched out against her, her head lying in Rachel's lap. Rachel smiled and unlaced the first three rows of corset tie. Then she undid the bun and worked her fingers through her dark hair, combing it out and Santana purred happily.

"Rough day?" Rachel asked kindly.

"I had to see Hailey. That tiny little creep thinks it's fun to be the naughtiest thing you've ever seen."

"I can assure you, you were not the only one dealing with a naughty girl today," Rachel told her and Santana pouted. She did not want that as a report on Marley's behavior. "You go first, though, I think your day was worse than mine," Rachel grinned, smirking a little bit.

"That little brat does everything she can to misbehave and push my buttons and after dealing with Marley, it got to be a little too much for me, so I had to have Miss Mercy finish the session."

"Doesn't she pay like two grand a session though?"

"Two and a half," Santana said.

"It's a good pay day Santana, I'm proud of you," Rachel told her.

"How did therapy go today?" Santana asked not wanting to talk about her day anymore.

"Not good and fabulous all at the same time," she said and Santana frowned. "She's sleeping now, but we had a break through today. Guess who is mobile now?" Rachel beamed and Santana turned quickly to keep her head on Rachel's lap and look up at her with shock. "And I have this for you," she said pulling her phone up off the couch and pulling up a video.

She tapped a few keys and Santana felt tears sting her eyes. Marley was on the floor, covered in sweat and Joe was down on the floor in front of her and talking kindly to her although Santana couldn't hear it. "You got it Marley!" Rachel's voice called off camera.

"Yes you do Marley. See your Mama Rae right over there? She's right there and not that far and ready to get you and pull you close and give you the very best hug she can," Joe encouraged and Marley shook her head no.

"Come on Marley," Santana hissed softly as she watched the video.

"Marley. I know this sucks, and I know that you want to quit right now, but the second you quit, that means that Terri won and Terri was a very mean lady who doesn't deserve to win. You are a beautiful, special, talented, strong little girl, and I promise you as soon as you take five little crawls to your Mama Rae, you'll be done with today's session," he said.

"Five?" Santana asked in shock. She watched while holding her breath and then the smile began to grow on her face as her baby took five very slow, and painful crawls across the floor and Rachel exploded with praise and pride and Santana felt tears roll down her cheeks.

"She hasn't said it, but I know she did it for you Santana. Everything she does, she does for you, to make you happy. You are her Mommy and she wants to please you more than anything," Rachel said brushing away Santana's tears kindly. "She did however have a tantrum today, several actually. She's trying to crawl a lot, to practice for you, but it's making her tired, and then she sort of falls down on her belly and throws a tantrum and falls to sleep," Rachel explained. "Kurt and I put her in bed before he left, I read her two stories, sang three lullabies and then assured her countless times that you would be home after her nap and we would all eat dinner together," Rachel said.

"Thank you," Santana said and she sat up and gave Rachel a sweet and loving kiss to her cheek.

Rachel grinned, returned the kiss and then helped Santana to lie back down. Once she was settled Rachel covered her with a blanket and made her rest for the next hour. Marley woke up during that time and moved off of her bed and started to crawl toward the living room. Rachel looked up and smiled, but said nothing. Then she looked down and saw Santana was asleep.

Marley crawled over to the couch and Rachel smiled. "Look at you my little love, you did so well, should we wake Mommy up and show her?" Rachel smiled. Marley shook her head no, she laid down on her belly, not wanting Santana to see how much work it had taken her. She was already sweaty from the short crawl. Rachel said nothing, but tapped Santana gently to help wake her a bit. Marley laid down on the floor and five minutes later, goose bumps covered her skin. Ten minutes later, her bowels released themselves, along with her bladder, and ten seconds after that, she was lying in hysterical sobs.

Santana carefully stood up and very carefully pulled her little girl up to her feet. "It's just Mommy baby, come on, time for a bath," she soothed and Rachel looked on.

"Do you want help?" she offered.

"Only if I yell," Santana smiled. "In the mean time, dinner please?" she asked.

Rachel nodded and went to make dinner while Santana wrestled with Marley in the bathroom and Marley screamed bloody murder the entire time. Rachel tried to drown out the noise, but it was very difficult. She moved to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass to help her feelings. Listening to Marley scream like that was just too upsetting and she was hoping the wine would help calm her nerves.

"Let's calm down baby girl," Santana said once she had Marley seated in the bath with her and was combing her wet hair gently, smiling and kissing her temple with wet lips against wet skin, causing a small squeaky noise. "What happened sweetheart? What made you so upset?" she asked her.

"Pain Mommy," she cried.

"Okay sweetheart, that's good communication, I'm very proud of you. Where do you have the most pain?" she asked her and Marley laid her hand on her own calf and then on her stomach.

"Okay sweetheart, Mommy has to know, is this muscular or are you having trouble with going to the bathroom?" Santana asked laying her hand gently on Marley's stomach. Marley shrugged, she honestly wasn't sure. "Do you want to talk to Nanny Susan and see if she can help you decipher? We won't give you an enema unless you absolutely need one," Santana assured her and again Marley shrugged. "Okay, well you think about it some more, and let me know," Santana told her. "However, I am so very proud of you, you crawled from the bedroom all the way to be with us, which means you are gaining your independence, as you should," Santana told her. "Are you still in pain?" she asked.

"Eff, a itta bit," she said.

"Only a little bit means you, my darling girl, need to have something with potassium or calcium, or magnesium, some nutrient to help your muscles, and water. We can't let you get dehydrated," Santana told her.

"Um, banana pee," she smiled.

"So polite," Santana grinned and she gave her a kiss and nodded her agreement. "Okay, let's get out, dried, dressed, and then get you a banana," she told her.

* * *

><p>A week later Santana was having a problem. Originally she had plans to do her own session with a client, who had a very basic punishment session, and Miss Beth had assured her she would be able to handle it. Santana felt confident she could handle it too, and the plan was for Marley to stay home with Rachel. Kurt was having an overnight shift at the diner and he had a cattle call audition as soon as the shift was over. The problem was that Rachel had been called in to do an emergency rehearsal that same day. The director had decided that the reviews were not to his liking and decided to pull three scenes, have them rewritten, and then rehearsed over the weekend.<p>

"Hey, we have a problem," Rachel told Santana softly and explained the problem to her.

"So, guess who's coming to work with Mommy," Santana said.

"Can you do that?" Rachel asked.

"I can ask," Santana said and she cleared her throat quickly as Marley crawled her way, near the girls but headed to the bathroom. "Hey munchkin, do you need help?" she asked.

"Mommy, pee-pee," she called to her.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Santana told her and then followed her into the bathroom. "I am so proud of you baby girl. You knew when you had wet. Do you know that means we're getting closer to no more diapers," Santana told her helping her up onto the toilet. "Yaaaay," she cheered for her and Marley looked confused. "Don't look so upset my love. I thought you wanted to be out of diapers," Santana told her.

"Peepee," she said looking down at her diaper that was soaked in urine, she'd known it, but wasn't able to hold it, and her bladder released the contents into her diaper.

"I know, but it's okay. Remember how we do everything in small steps? This is just one of those steps, and I know you are probably very frustrated, but remember you are in a safe place and very much loved okay?"

"Baby g'uh," Marley asked her.

"Yes, you can still be a baby girl, even without diapers. Mommy is twenty three and so is Mama, and our parents still call us baby girl, so that will never stop. Only if you want it to, okay?" Santana asked and Marley nodded. Santana finished changing her, and then helped her stand up and get back down onto the floor. "Okay love bug, you and Mommy have to talk about something a little bit serious, do you think you can handle that right now?" she asked her.

"Fi-ah," Marley said quietly.

"Oh yes, pacifier, teddy bear, blanket, panda, whatever you want baby. I know you might get scared of this conversation and I really don't want that, so you get anything you want to help you feel comfortable."

"Ho'd me?" Marley asked blushing as she spoke. Even after all this time, she was still embarrassed to have to ask for things. The difference was, at least she got to ask for them, nothing was ever really forced upon her, and she was grateful for that.

"Yes my love. Let's go back, gather what you like, and then we will sit and cuddle and talk," Santana told her. They gathered Marley's two stuffed animals and her pacifier, before moving to cuddle on the couch. "Okay my sweet girl, we have to talk about tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going to go out together. See Mommy has to go to work and so does Papa and Mama, so you are going to come to work with Mommy. While Mommy does her job, you're going to be in the same building with Nanny Susan. We're going to go very early. We're going to pack your toys from home to bring with you, and you're going to get very comfortable in the room with Mommy before she goes to take care of her customer," Santana explained.

Marley fell deadly quiet and Santana frowned. Rachel joined them and took Marley's hand gently. "Would you like to comment on any of what Mommy just said?" she offered. Marley didn't know what to think though. She'd panicked any time they left her, but now they were taking her with them. Out into the world. People were in the world. People like Terri. Marley didn't know what to think. She shook her head no and curled tightly into Santana. "Maybe our baby girl, needs a lullaby," Rachel suggested and the two women sang Marley a song to keep her calm.

After the song was finished, Marley seemed a little bit calmer. "Do you have any questions at all sweetheart?" Santana asked her. Marley didn't answer so Rachel raised her hand and waited for Santana to acknowledge her.

"Where am I going?" Rachel asked.

"You got called into your job, because you have a stinky boss who thinks his way is the only way, and we will not get me started on him, because he will make me very angry," she said simply.

"What about you, where are you going while Marley is in with Nanny Susan?" Rachel asked.

"I am going to be in a room that is two doors away from the room Marley and Nanny Susan are in. I'm going to be in that room for an hour and then I'm going to clean up and go into the room that Marley is in and I will cuddle her as tightly as I can, because I love her so very much," she said cuddling her little one as tightly as she could.

"Well I think that sounds doable. It means Marley is going to be in a new place, but she's going to be with people she knows and has learned to trust, and I hope that she comes home to tell us all about it," Rachel told her.

* * *

><p>The next day Santana got Marley dressed, and was very concerned as Marley still wasn't talking. She didn't even shake her head, or blink her eyes, or try to spell with her blocks. She just stayed next to Santana, mostly underfoot as she crawled right next to her, leaning her left side against Santana's leg. Kurt had tried to pull her away and engage her in the Simon game, but she wasn't having any of it. She cried when he left, afraid she would never see him again, and got herself so worked up, she threw up her breakfast. Kurt decided he would take the time to clean her up and assure her, he would see her later and give her many hugs, cuddles, and kisses. "I love you so much Marley and Mommy is going to make sure our little girl has a lovely time today and maybe you will tell me all about it okay?" he asked her gently and she didn't respond. "Can I give you hugs and kisses now?" he asked and she simply leaned into him. She wasn't ready to start communicating in any way yet.<p>

As the day wore on Santana was getting more and more concerned, texting Susan that her little girl was being mute today. Rachel didn't have to go in until later, but decided that she was going to go in with Santana and Marley. "Rachel," Santana said seriously.

"If Marley can go, surely I can go too. She needs support, more than just you, so I'm hoping that Marley having her Mama and her Mommy with her, should help," Rachel said.

"You couldn't handle a simple discussion, in our kitchen, about sodomy, and I'm bringing her to what is essentially a grown up nursery, are you sure?" Santana asked, slightly demanding her answer rather than asking a question.

"I wish you wouldn't growl, and yes I'm sure," Rachel said seriously. "Look, she's sleeping now, and you have to get her up and bring her to the club, on the bus, once you walk down to the first floor. Meanwhile, she hasn't left this house since she arrived however long ago it was. Are you sure _you_ want to handle that by _yourself_?" Rachel asked seriously and Santana sighed. She didn't like that Rachel was right.

"We leave in two hours, on the dot, make sure you're ready," Santana barked.

"You are a woman, not a dog!" Rachel barked back and went into her bedroom to pack. She put her bag together and then went over a check list in her mind. "Okay, I have all my supplies ready, what is the most important thing you need help with?"

"Communication," Santana sighed.

"Okay, second most important thing," Rachel smiled.

"I really don't know. I need to make sure she has her bag packed, snacks, and some juice, because I don't think the club has any juice there. Maybe apple, but she throws that up," Santana said.

"Wait, really? Since when?"

"Yesterday," Santana said pulling out an extra change of clothes to pack. "She took four sips and that was it. Apple juice everywhere. It looked like something out of the exorcist," she said.

"She drinks other juices though."

"She drinks 'fruit punch' and cranberry juice," Santana laughed. "It's good that you're trying, and I really appreciate it, but I'm giving you one last chance. Are you sure you want to be at the club?" she asked.

"Yes, I do. Marley needs to know that she is not alone. She freaks out when Kurt and I leave the house. When you leave, it's ten times worse. You're bringing her to a place, that she claims to have want to been in, yet was tortured in. Do you really think bringing her there, by yourself and then leaving is a good thing? You and I both know she's nineteen, but when she's in her younger state of mind, anything goes," Rachel said moving around the bedroom. "Pack this too. It's cold outside," she said giving her a pink sweater.

Santana took the sweater and placed it in the backpack. "Okay, let's go wake the princess," she said.

"It hasn't been two hours," Rachel noted.

"We start now, so we can leave by the two hour mark," Santana told her.

"What time is your session?"

"Six?"

"Whoa! You built it," Rachel said pausing to try and do the math.

"Four extra hours," Santana told her, smirking when Rachel shot her a look. Rachel had been a straight A student, but when it came to math, it always took her a little bit longer, while Santana, also a straight A student, had no issues with math at all.

"One word out of you, just one, and I'm telling your supervisor you were going to risk doing this by yourself. You won't be able to sit for a week!" Rachel told her seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on," she said.

* * *

><p>It was ridiculously easy to wake Marley, get her downstairs, to the bus stop, onto the bus, and up to the club. Susan met them at the front door and smiled. "Rachel dear, I'm happy to finally meet you," she smiled, shaking hands with her. "Santana tells us how wonderful you and Kurt are," she praised and Rachel smiled.<p>

"Be nice if she said that to us once in a while," Rachel teased and Santana simply rolled her eyes. Rachel giggled and blew her a kiss before turning to see Susan. "It's nice to meet you too Nanny Susan," she said.

"Santana my dear, always a pleasure," Susan grinned. Santana put most of Marley's weight into Rachel and hugged Susan tightly. "Is she talking yet?" Susan whispered.

"Not even a whimper," she said, sounding upset about this.

Susan broke the hug and smiled. "Hi Marley. It is so nice of you to come visit me, while Mommy goes to work for a little while, but I hear we're going to be together for a good long while before she does that. Tell me sweetheart, have you ever been in an elevator?" she asked and Marley simply looked at her. "Well today, we're all going to ride in the special elevator in this building. It takes us right up to the hallway, that is behind my room. It's like a secret entrance. No one else knows about it. Can you keep it a secret?" she asked her, trying to sound hopeful in her voice. She was hoping that if she could engage Marley in some sort of younger mind set, a 'top secret' discussion, a you're-the-only-one-who-knows-about-this type mission, it would help the process. She knew that as far as Marley was concerned, Susan was the person who gave her enemas, and she was pretty sure that Marley didn't want another one of those.

"Come on love. You, me, Nanny Susan and Mama, we'll all go together. Mommy is not leaving this building without you. Mama will leave in a little while to go to her job, but right now, we are all here together. So we're going to very carefully make our way up to Nanny Susan's room," Santana explained. "And do you remember baby girl? Do you remember how Mommy told you there were lots of baby things in this room?" she asked and Marley turned her head to look at her, but she didn't blink, or say anything, she just showed her that she was paying attention. "Well I just want you to remember what we talked about. I want you to be comfortable and I want you to remember that nothing will be forced upon you," Santana reminded her.

The four of them stepped into the elevator and rode it up to the third floor. Susan held the door and she watched as Santana and Rachel carefully lead her off the elevator and she noticed that Marley was trying to walk, but also dragging her feet. She was glad to see progress though. They all stopped just outside the door and Susan opened it first. "Okay, let's go in," she said kindly.

She opened the door to reveal a fully intact nursery, for very large babies, and Rachel had to swallow her own confusion, wonderment, and slightly fearful feelings, in order to help keep Marley calm. "Marley baby, this is the room Nanny is in a lot when little ones come to visit and most of Nanny's little ones are as young as ten month to five years old. If anyone wants to be older than five, they usually want much more than what Nanny can give them, so they go see other people," Susan explained trying to engage Marley in conversation, or at least explain everything to her. "Do you want to know what my favorite place in this room is? It's that rocking chair right over there," Susan smiled pointing to it. It was an ivory white, oversized, plush rocking chair, that actually looked pretty comfortable and there was a matching odd shaped ottoman in front of it. "Nanny sits in that chair and holds whatever little boy or girl who wants to be held, because one of the great things about being a little one is that you get a lot of cuddles. Maybe Mommy will cuddle you in that chair," she suggested.

Marley looked to Santana with a mix of hope and confusion. "Do you want to baby? We can," Santana told her and Marley turned to look at Rachel. "Do you think Mama should join us? I think that chair is big enough for all of us to fit," Santana crooned gently. Marley turned a little bit and carefully wrapped herself around Santana. She rested her head on Santana's shoulder and looked toward Rachel.

"Now Mommy can't see your pretty face," Rachel smiled leaning in and kissing her gently. "I can though. What do you say princess, should we all go sit in the big rocking chair together? Mama doesn't have to leave for at least an hour," Rachel smiled and she saw Marley nod, while Santana felt it against her shoulder. They really wished she would go back to talking, but being that this was a lot of new, forced upon her, all at once, Santana wasn't going to push her luck. The three of them sat in the chair together. Rachel and Santana were seated hip to hip and Marley laid between and across them, some part of her touching each of them.

The two girls started to sing a soft lullaby to Marley and when they finished she shifted a bit to look at Santana. "Mommy," she said softly.

"Yes my love?" she asked and inside, she was screaming with delight, at least Marley was talking to them again.

"Wha' dah?" she asked pointing to the ridiculously oversized high chair in the far left corner of the room.

"I'm not sure my love, maybe we should ask Nanny Susan, do you want to ask her?" Santana cooed softly while Rachel played with Marley's long dark locks. Both Santana and Rachel were very happy to see Marley regress. She was now thinking around a three or four year old level, very curious about her surroundings. Marley nodded and then fell quiet. "You have to say words my love, Nanny Susan isn't a mind reader," Santana teased her and Marley shook her head no and looked at Santana hard.

"Mommy," she said.

"Mommy has to ask? Why does Mommy have to ask?" Santana questioned, carefully petting Marley's face and arms, knowing that there were certain spots on Marley's skin that helped her stay calm and relaxed. Marley didn't say anything at all, she just waited for Santana to ask. "Manners my baby girl," Santana told her kindly.

"Mommy aff pee," she said softly.

Santana fixed the three of them a bit and leaned in to kiss Marley's temple. "I am so proud of you my love, that was so polite," Santana praised. "Nanny Susan, Marley would like to know what that object over there is," Santana said pointing to it.

"I would love to explain that to you. Marley baby do you want to have a little tour? We can all walk around the room and whatever you want explained, I will explain to you," Susan told her and after a moment of thought, Marley nodded and started to wiggle around trying to get up so they could all go explore. Santana got up with her and Rachel followed close behind. The two girls guided Marley over to the high chair so she could see it. "This is a high chair sweetheart, can you say that?" Susan asked, expecting no response at all.

"Eye-air," Marley said.

"That was beautiful sweetheart, you said that so well," Susan praised. Marley was regressing further and further, feeling safe in her little girl self and Susan was going to encourage every bit of that, to help her stay calm and relaxed in a safe and comfortable space while Santana went to have her session. "Yes, this is the high chair. Nanny puts all of her messy eaters in here, so that if they make any major messes, it's easy to clean up," she explained.

"Me?" Marley asked with concern, holding tight to Santana and trembling already.

"No baby, I've talked to Mommy and you are a very neat eater, you don't need a high chair. If you ever want to sit in it, you can, but it is definitely not necessary. Nanny is talking about very messy eaters. Mostly babies who have trouble feeding themselves and miss their mouths," she said. Nanny had a little boy yesterday who is only fifteen months old and has very poor motor skills. He picked up a meatball, covered in sauce, put it to his mouth, and missed. The meatball crumbled all over the tray top here and he had sauce all over his face, by the time he finished eating," Susan explained.

Marley wrinkled her face in disgust. The first time she missed her mouth while feeding herself, she had a total meltdown. Terri had force fed her a lot and she usually ended up very messy, mostly because the food was too hot and burning her face, and Terri never cared. "Any other questions baby?" Susan asked and Marley hung on tight to Santana, very carefully turning herself around so she could see the room a little better. She stumbled a little bit and Rachel helped her to get rebalanced. Once she was set, Marley reached for Rachel holding on tight and resting her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"You know what princess? If we crawled it might be easier than standing. It'll help keep your muscles working," Rachel suggested, falling slightly under the pressure Marley was applying. Marley was still under weight as far as her family was concerned, but she had gained a lot of grip strength over time and used a lot of that to help her along the way. Marley looked afraid and Rachel rubbed her back to help soothe her. "It's alright, you don't have to baby, it's just a suggestion my love," she assured her and Marley cautiously looked to Santana.

"You can if you want to love. We can tell Mr. Joe you crawled extra and maybe he won't give you as much homework this week," Santana told her kindly, petting her hair and her face, which Marley seemed to like.

Marley looked directly at Santana and then pointed to a near corner. "Ney ney," she said.

"You see a horse?" Santana smiled.

"That is Nanny's very special rocking horse. I actually think you sitting on that horse might help your hips, but it's completely up to you sweetheart, I will not push you ever," Susan told her.

"Ney ney Mommy," Marley said.

"Manners little girl," Santana told her seriously and Marley frowned. "I know, you don't like me scolding you, but you my love need to have manners. You can be little or big, or anywhere in between, but you must always be polite my love," she explained to her.

"Pee Mommy, Ney ney," she told her softly.

"Very good my baby girl, very good," Santana praised and she and Rachel brought Marley over to the rocking horse. Santana very carefully looked back at Susan and shot her a questioning look. She knew there was an extra piece to the horse, that she didn't see, and she was sure that Marley would freak out if she saw it.

Susan smiled and walked on Santana's other side. "It's all been hidden," she assured her.

"Are you going to sit on it, or just look at it sweetheart?" Santana asked her gently. Marley looked unsure.

Rachel had her arms wrapped around Marley and was carefully petting her hair and kissing her temple. "You know what baby? When Mama was a little girl, she had a horse just like this. I called him horsie," Rachel said.

"Very original," Santana said dryly.

"No one asked you," Rachel told her poking her tongue out and then focusing in on Marley again. "I used to pet him very gently and tell him whatever secrets I thought he should know. Maybe you can pet the horse carefully so you know it's safe," Rachel suggested and every one watched as Marley reached out her hand, her body trembling, while she attempted to 'pet' the horse. She didn't know what would happen. "Should Mama pet Ney ney first?" Rachel asked her gently.

"Rachel dear are you sure it's only Broadway that you're interested in?" Susan asked kindly.

"Told ya," Santana grinned triumphantly.

"The only thing I'm interested in is Broadway, but thank you," Rachel smiled. "Look baby, let's pet Ney ney together," she told Marley kindly and she pet the horse first, eventually having Marley join her and she smiled when Marley smiled. "Very good baby, what do you think, what does Ney ney feel like?" she asked.

"Soff," Marley said quietly as she pet the furry mane of the wooden horse.

"Yes, he has very soft hair. What about his body, what does that feel like?" Rachel asked her. Marley furrowed her brow and ran her hand along the wooden horse very carefully. "Is it soft baby?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no. "Is it hard then?" Rachel asked and Santana bit her lip to keep from laughing. Sometimes she had the mind of a horny twelve year old boy. Marley again shook her head no. She didn't know what it felt like, but she knew she didn't hate it.

"Mommy?" Marley asked softly. "I go?" Marley asked pointing to the seat, asking permission to sit on the wooden rocking horse.

"You can baby, but you don't have to. It's totally up to you," Santana assured her and Marley nodded and reached carefully for Santana. Santana snuck in close and rubbed Marley's back once she had her in her arms.

"He'p pee?" she asked.

"Help what baby? Do you want to sit on Ney ney?" she asked her and with some hesitation Marley nodded her consent.

"Marley honey, Mommy and Mama have to be on either side of you sweetheart. Your feet won't touch the floor and I don't want you falling over and getting hurt," Susan warned her. Rachel and Santana nodded and with a bit of effort and a two whimpers from Marley as she stretched her leg and then sat on the horse, she was rocking slowly, leaning into Santana who was on her left side. "You look beautiful Marley. You have a delicious smile, I'm glad I get to see it," Susan told her.

"What do you say to Nanny Susan love?" Santana coached kindly.

"Fank-oo Nanny," Marley said softly.

Marley rocked for about five minutes before she decided she was bored of this, and her hips were starting to hurt. "Mommy," she said leaning further into her. "Done, off pee," she said.

"Alright, hold on to my shoulders and Mama will help get your leg over. You're going to slide off this way," Santana explained to her. With several whimpers of sharp quick pain, the girls got Marley off the rocking horse and onto the ground.

Rachel checked her watch and looked at Santana. "Twenty," she told her and Santana nodded, looking around the room to find the clock. It was just above the front door and according to the disney characters, Santana still had three hours with her baby until she had to go to her session.

"Marley, should we sit and cuddle, or should we play with Simon," she said.

"You brought toys?" Susan asked kindly. "Can Nanny see them?" she asked. "Nanny has a bunch of toys of her own but if you have a good one, then maybe I can buy it for the other little ones who come to play here. They love new toys," Susan said.

"Mommy bean eye an eddy an panda," she said and Susan gave a smile. It was the most Marley had said in one sentence ever, which was a good sign. It meant, she was feeling more comfortable in her little girl headspace, in an actually little girl surrounding. "You said that so fast, Nanny wasn't listening, I'm sorry baby. Can you tell me the first one again?"

"Eye," Marley said and she opened and closed her palm in rapid succession to sign the word light. With her speech still improving, Marley learned to sign a few words.

"Can you say the light toy's other name princess?" Santana asked purposefully signing the word light when she said it, to help Susan put two and two together.

"Um... 'i-mom," she said.

"That was beautiful baby," Santana praised her. "Yes, we brought Simon and Teddy Bear, and Panda," she smiled and Marley moved closer to her, putting her head on Santana's shoulder, but still standing so she could see Susan and interact with her. She was beginning to think that maybe Nanny Susan was a nice person she could trust.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everyone,**

**I am not going to be around tomorrow for most of the day so you are getting the update a day earlier. There aren't actually any warnings for this chapter, it's pure fluff! Marley is heavy into her little girl space and she's still with Nanny Susan and doing some exploring. If you remember what a See-n-Say is, then you are most likely as old as I am, and if you don't know, google it! :) I really wasn't sure if those toys are still around. My niece is 13 and I don't know that she's ever seen one.**

**Thank you all for reading. Many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their support and encouragement, and Happy Weekend to you all!**

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><p>And hour later, Rachel had left and Marley was sitting on the floor with Santana and Susan, playing with a toy that Susan had found for her. "This is a See and Say Marley," she smiled. "Do you know how to work this?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no. It was a large round plastic blue circle. There was a recessed circle in the middle with a gigantic arrow that apparently spun around. There was one giant sticker on the outside that listed all the letters and had a picture next to it that was a word starting with that letter. There was also a little string on the side that when pulled, the arrow would spin around, and the voice inside would say the letter and the word. Santana wanted to use it as a practice toy once Susan explained how it worked.<p>

"Should we practice a bit? Maybe if we practice our letters and words some more, Miss April will give you less homework," Santana told her.

"You get homework Marley?" Susan asked.

"Eff Nanny," she said softly as she fingered the little plastic ring that was meant to be pulled.

"What does Miss April make you do?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no and looked at Santana. She didn't want to share. She didn't want to think about grown up things right now. This was much nicer. She was curled up with her Mommy, she was in a place that reminded her of being like a little girl, and she felt warm and fuzzy all over. The love Santana had for her and showed her on a daily basis was what she was soaking in right now, because if she was going to be honest with herself, she wasn't sure how long it was going to last.

"Miss April asks Marley to say her letters, numbers, and simple words, so that her mouth heals better. She's doing very well, but it's not quite there yet, so we keep practicing," Santana said. "Right baby?" she asked in a gentle voice and Marley leaned back into Santana needing as much cuddle time as she could get.

"I see, well this is not a room that Nanny likes to do homework in. In this room, Nanny likes to play. Can we play with this together?" she asked Marley.

"An' Mommy?" Marley asked.

"Yes, Mommy can play too. We'll take turns. Do you want to go first, or should Nanny or Mommy go first?" she asked.

"Um, Mommy," Marley said. Santana rolled her eyes a bit, but agreed. "Let's see, Mommy picks D for, what is that?" she asked pointing to it. It looked like a little black blob that had some weird red bandana around it's middle.

"Iff dog Mommy," Marley said kindly.

"Is it?" Santana asked and she picked up the toy and stared at the picture. "That's a dog really? Where are his feet?" she asked and Marley pointed to them but Santana shook her head no. "There's only two. It's a two footed dog?" she asked.

"No," Marley giggled and she picked up Santana's hand. "Un, ooh, fee, fou'," Marley said trying to count.

"One, two," Santana said and Marley giggled again.

She picked up Santana's finger and counted again with her, moving Santana's pointer finger to each of the dog's legs. "One, ooh fee fou'," she said, her speech getting a little bit better and Santana smiled.

"I don't know if I believe you my love. I see a black blob," she said.

"Dog Mommy. 'oof," Marley giggled.

"Black blob," Santana smiled and she leaned in kissing Marley's cheek noisily.

"Dog," Marley argued with an adorable smile. She'd seen her family play fight before. The first time she didn't understand it, but after the third time, it made sense and she knew the true difference between fighting and playful bickering.

"Why don't you two crazy girls pull the string. The machine will tell you," Susan said kindly, enjoying seeing Marley smile and actually 'argue' with Santana.

"Dog, D" the machine said and then a recording of a dog played through the little speakers.

"What does he know," Santana said scowling a little bit. "I still see a black blob," she said.

"Mommy's stubborn," Susan laughed. Marley simply shifted and kissed Santana's cheek. "Alright Marley, your turn, or Nanny's turn?" she asked her and Marley handed the toy to Susan.

The machine was now set to K, but Susan decided that was too easy of a letter for Marley and if Santana truly wanted practice, then she was going to make that happen, in as calm a way as possible. "Let's see, how about Z," Nanny said and Marley immediately frowned. There were too many sounds in that word that she had trouble with. "Marley, do you know what this is?" Susan asked her showing her the toy.

"Ney ney," Marley said softly.

"Yes, you're right, that's a horse, but a very different type of horse, do you know the name of it?" Santana kept Marley tight against her and shook her head no while looking at Susan. That really was too much for Marley, but Santana was grateful that Susan let Marley say her version of the word and didn't correct her. "Let's try this, what color is this right here?" she asked pointing to one of the stripes.

"Back," she said, leaving out the L of the word.

"Very good, and what about this one?" she asked.

"Why," Marley smiled.

"Very good baby, do you know what black and white stripes make a horse become?" she asked.

"A jail bird," Santana answered and then laughed at her own joke.

"Mommy's very silly," Susan laughed. "See I don't know, so I'm going to pull the string and find out, or maybe you can pull it for me," Susan offered.

Marley smiled and pulled the string for Susan. "Zebra, Z," it said.

"Mommy still thinks it's a jail bird," Santana said and Marley giggled softly.

"Okay, Marley's turn now," Susan told her kindly and Marley carefully took the toy. She sat it on her lap and turned to look at Santana.

"What's up baby? It's your turn, you get to pick a letter," Santana said and Marley shook her head no. She picked up Santana's hand and began tapping it round to the circle to say her letters. "Oh, should we practice? Should we try to say all our ABC's?" she asked and Marley nodded her agreement. She was in a safe place, and even if she said it wrong, it would be okay, she truly believed that at the moment. "Okay baby, let's start, we'll only go around once," Santana told her.

Santana started at A and went round, while Susan listened carefully. "A, B, E, D, E, F, G, A, I, A, K, Eh, M, N, O, P, U, Ah, F, E, U, V, Duh-U, Eff, Y, Ee," Marley said saying her alphabet slowly.

Santana gave her a kiss to her temple and spoke kindly. "Do you think we can practice one of your letters baby? We have time, and Mommy brought juice for you," she said. Marley thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay, let's try the Q," Santana said and she very carefully looked at Marley. "Mommy will say it with you. We'll just keep saying it together, softly, until you can say it a little better, just like you do with Miss April. "Q," Santana said softly.

"U," Marley said.

"Good, let's slow it down a little bit. Say K, like kite," Santana coached.

"Kuh," Marley said and Santana praised her and kissed her temple again.

"Very good, now we say U," Satana said and Marley repeated it. "Very good, so we put it together slowly at first. K-eh U," she said and Marley repeated it slowly. They said that slowly twenty one times. Santana kept track and gave Marley lots of praise over that time. "That's great, now let's try to link them together. Can you say Yuh, like yo-yo?" she asked her and Marley nodded, repeated the correct sound. "Very good baby girl, that's wonderful. Now we put it together, nice and slow, Kuh-yuh-ooh," Santana said carefully and Marley whined, indicating it was too fast for her. "Calm down, we'll go slower," Santana told her kindly and she slowed down her pace. It was repeated ten times extra slow, ten times at a slightly faster pace, until they were just saying the letter Q back and forth at each other and then Santana stopped them. "You my precious girl have done so well, I am so proud of you. Now we get you juice," Santana told her.

"Fi-ah Mommy?" Marley asked hopefully.

"Yes baby, you can have your pacifier," Santana said and she reached behind herself, into the little backpack she and packed up and pulled out the green and pink pacifier and then put it in her hand, while Marley opened her mouth. "No baby, this is yours and your choice. Always your choice. I know you asked for it, but I will never put this in your mouth for you. That has never changed. You are the one in control of this, no one else," Santana reminded her kindly. "Now, come on, I have to get your juice, so we have to go over to the fridge," she told her.

Santana stood up carefully and then helped Marley up, guiding her to the little fridge in the far corner of the room. She opened the door and pulled out the juice. She didn't want Marley to see the baby bottles that were stored in there along with various sippy cups, that were all labeled for Susan's various little ones. She happened to notice a bottle marked for Hailey and smiled. "I hope you put extra 'vitamins' in Hailey's drink," she said kindly to Susan and Susan smirked.

"Did you have problems with Hailey the other day?" she asked.

"I wrote a full report," Santana said and she opened the cabinet above her head and sighed. "Ugh, Marley baby, I'm sorry, I didn't bring your cup, I wasn't thinking, so you have to make a choice okay?' she asked and Marley looked scared. She remained leaning against the little counter top and waiting for Santana to continue. "You can wait here with Nanny and I will get you a proper cup from the water cooler out front, or you can have one of the sippy cups up here," she told her and Marley started to turn and look behind her, wobbling a bit. "Let me help you turn to see baby," Santana said kindly.

She took a hold of her and Marley's head went right to her shoulder, which meant she was either tired or looking for familiar comfort because she was scared. "It's alright my love, you don't have to have these if you don't want," she said.

"Perhaps she can have one without the lid," Susan suggested.

"Oooh, that's a good idea. Do you see how smart Nanny Susan is? That's why she works with all the little ones, she loves them so much and wants to make sure they are well cared for, and you my love, are now one of those people," Santana told her.

"No id?" Marley asked.

"No, baby, not if you don't want it," Santana told her.

"And Nanny has all kind of cups for you to choose from," Susan said and she walked over to them and smiled. "Here, let's see. Nanny has colors, or ones with bubbles, or ones with shapes," she said pulling out a few different ones, but the one that caught Marley's eye was the mostly clear cup with multicolored stars all over it.

"Mama!" she said pointing to it and Santana smiled.

"Yes, I think Mama would love that cup," Santana smiled.

"Why would Mama like this sweetheart?" Susan asked her kindly.

"Mama 'ike 'are," Marley said softly pointing to one of the stars.

"Mama likes stars?" Susan asked with a smile and Marley nodded. "Well would you like to drink from this cup if reminds you of your Mama?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Alright, I will pour the juice while Mommy holds you okay?" she asked and she poured the cup three quarters full. "This is just for now sweetheart, if you want more, you let me know and I will gladly get you more," she told her and she handed her the cup.

"Two hands love," Santana said kindly. Marley used both her hands to hold the cup and brought it to her mouth, drinking most of it in one very long continuous sip. She brought it away from her lips and panted slightly. "You're too cute, and I love you very much," Santana told her.

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><p>Santana took her back to the rocking chair and sat with her for ten minutes, while Marley rested and Santana talked to Susan. Santana was able to say everything she wanted openly while she rocked with her little girl, before Marley finally wiggled and held up her hand, so she could ask a question. "What's up baby?" she asked her.<p>

"Wha dah?" she asked pointing.

"That's the crib Nanny Susan has for all the little ones who need naps and roll around a lot," she said and Marley started to think for a moment before looking at Santana with fear in her eyes.

"No down, no down," she said with panic and Santana shushed her gently.

"Calm my love, let's calm down and we'll figure it out slowly, and if I don't get it, we'll get your blocks," she told her and Marley started to cry. This was it. This was definitely it, Santana was going to leave and Susan was going to strap Marley down into a crib and leave her there forever, just like Terri had done. Terri's crib however was just a simple twin bed with heavy belts that she wrapped over Marley's body. This was different somehow. This was a full size bed that had bars and rails all around it, but the front side was down, touching the floor. "What's down baby?" she asked her.

"No, no, no," Marley cried.

"Okay baby, okay, let's get your blocks and you spell it for me. What scares you about the crib?" she asked her. "What do you think is going to go down?" she asked and Marley hung on tightly to Santana, trying to figure out what to spell. She spelled out the first word and Santana cuddled her little girl tighter. "That crib has no straps baby. Not one, so I want to show it to you, so you can see for yourself, but I promise you little girl, you never, ever, ever have to go lay down in the crib, unless you want to," Santana assured her.

"BED," Marley spelled.

"Yes my love, it's like a bed, but at home we don't use a crib, because, well first we don't have the room for it, and secondly, I don't think you want to sleep in one," she told her and Marley cried and shook her head no. She really didn't want to sleep in one.

"Marley sweetheart," Susan said gently, "I promise you sweetheart, I will never ask you to do anything that scares you. You will never have to lay in the crib if you don't want to. The only thing I would ask is for you to do is lay on the changing table. Nanny uses it to help change all the little ones in diapers, because she has a bad back if she does it on the floor," Susan explained.

"So you see sweetheart? It's okay, and Mommy will change you before she leaves for the hour, so that you should be okay while I'm two doors down," Santana said choosing her words very carefully and Marley seemed to calm down, trying to understand, hiccuping a bit as she did so. "I'm still here baby, and I'll be here for a good hour longer. Do you want to investigate the crib and changing table? Do you want to see them better, so you know for sure that they're okay?" she offered.

Marley cried softly, but nodded her agreement, as long as Santana held her, she was willing to at least try. "Alright big girl," Santana said and she very carefully brought Marley over to the crib and let her inspect it. Santana sat down on the mattress, with Marley on her lap, twisting and turning slowly, so that Marley could see every aspect of the crib. Nothing was glaring at her. There was just a simple mattress, the rails all along the side and a bumper than ran the inner perimeter of the space, along the three sides, and then she saw velcro at the back edges of the short sides and started to cry harder, shaking against Santana. "Shhh, tell me sweetheart, try," Santana said gently and Marley cried hard while she reached her trembling hand to the corners with velcro. "Okay baby, okay," Santana soothed. "Nanny Susan, what's the velcro for?" she asked kindly.

"Of course my love, I'll have to have you stand up so I can show you," she told her and Marley shrieked as they stood up.

"Shhh, no screaming baby, it's okay," Santana assured her.

Susan pulled up the front bars of the crib, so that full thing was an enclosed space and looked like a very simple, yet oversized crib. Susan reached in and undid the velcro tabs for the bumper and then once she opened them, the bumper went all the way around the crib. "This is so the ones who move a lot don't bang their heads on the rails here," Susan explained kindly.

"See baby? It's okay sweetheart, it's for safety. At Mommy's work we are very safe, we do everything we can to make sure the people we are with trust us. We need their trust to do our jobs," Santana told her kindly. "I know you are very scared of this sweetheart, but I'm going to be close by, I promise you," Santana assured her. "Should we go back and cuddle before Mommy leaves for a bit?" she offered and Marley nodded tearfully, wanting to get back to that peaceful feeling she'd had earlier.

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><p>It had been fifty five minutes since Santana had left and so far Marley had done really well. She was sitting in the middle of the nursery watching Lady and the Tramp on the big screen television, cuddling with Panda and Teddy Bear. She only glanced at the clock twice. The first time only two minutes had passed and she pouted. Susan had caught her looking and spoke kindly from her spot behind her. "Marley baby, are you sure you want to watch this movie, we can watch a different one if you like." Susan said.<p>

"No," she said simply and went back to watching the movie. She laid down on her side and stuffed Panda under head and held Teddy Bear tight in her arms. Susan smiled and very carefully put a pillow in Marley's vision, not saying a word, hoping Marley would take the offered pillow for her neck and not crush poor Panda. Marley very slowly wiggled into a good position that didn't hurt her body. She put her head on the pillow and tucked Panda close to her chest as well.

The movie continued and Marley got sucked into it. She was a bit concerned when the dog went to the pound, but she grabbed her pacifier, put it in her mouth and didn't think much more about it. She remembered how this movie ended. It had a happy ending, she just had to get through a little bit of sadness.

Forty minutes went by the second time and Marley realized that she was much closer to getting her Mommy back, at least she hoped she was. There was a chance, that she was going to be left with Susan and Santana would never return. Marley shut her eyes tight and tried not to think about it. Luckily for her, her body took over her thoughts and released all the liquid it was holding into her diaper. It was so powerful that Susan heard it and she let Marley be for a few moments. She didn't want to push her too fast. She would let her wait to get changed if she really had to, but leaving Marley in a wet diaper was not something she thought was a good idea.

Marley wiggled and fussed around a bit, trying to get comfortable in her now very wet diaper. Susan let her squirm for two minutes, trying to figure out the right way to approach Marley with the proposition of changing her. "Marley sweetheart, would you like Nanny to change you sweetheart? You can lay right there on the floor and continue to watch the movie," she offered. She knew it would kill her back, but at least Marley wouldn't be screaming so much.

"No pee," Marley said politely, her voice trembling slightly and she wiggled slightly for a moment, before stilling herself and while Trusty went running through the streets, sniffing, and tracking, trying to pick up the scent to help his friends, Marley stared at the clock. Time was moving forward, but she was sure it had rolled back. It seemed like the clock now said ten minutes. It said five just before, Marley was sure of it. She started to cry softly and tried very hard to keep it in. She didn't know how Susan felt about people crying. Santana, Kurt, and Rachel told her it was okay, but Susan was a different story. Her body started to tremble as she tried to hold back her tears.

"Marley baby, are you sure? Nanny can change you while we wait for Mommy, but she's going to be a couple of minutes and I don't want you to be uncomfortable any longer than you have to be. She also didn't want her to get a rash, but she thought better of mentioning that.

"No pee," Marley said again and this time, she stilled her body so forcefully that Susan swore she heard a whimper escape Marley. It was only problematic because because whimpers like that meant pain and pain meant trouble of some kind which Susan was pretty sure, Marley wasn't ready to communicate about.

"Marley honey, let Nanny change you sweetheart, you look very uncomfortable," she tried.

"NO!" Marley said quickly and she quickly crawled her way into the corner and tried to make herself very tiny behind the crib. "Mommy," she cried, over and over again, her cries getting louder and tears falling faster.

"Oh boy, Mommy is going to be very disappointed that Nanny couldn't help you," Susan said simply and she walked over toward the crib and sat down, leaving a good distance between herself and Marley. "Honey, I have to change you. If you stay in a diaper that wet for too long you'll get a rash," Susan explained.

Marley sat on the floor of the nursery. Tears were streaming down her face and she was gagging on her own breath. She was scared. She wasn't sure when she was coming back if at all. She remembered being held and talked to, and she was pretty sure it was by Santana but that was all she remembered.

Susan wanted to gather the girl tight in her arms and just hold her and show her love and affection, but Marley was a sensitive case, so it wasn't the best option at the moment, given how upset Marley was. Susan was used to "babies" who played, who wanted to be diapered, spanked, fed, humiliated even, but none of them ever acted like this. None of them were truly terrified of their surroundings or had such fear painted on their faces. So Susan sat there, trying to calm Marley in any way possible and find a way to open the lines of communication.

Susan got up, walked over to the toy chest and picked up a little doll and cradled it in her arms. She carried it over toward Marley, sat down on the floor and began rocking side to side. "Shhh, poor baby, you're okay, you're okay," she cooed, over and over, speaking slight nonsense just to have another voice in the room, to get Marley to focus on anything else. "I know baby, I know, it's okay, you're okay, just tell me what's wrong," Susan said kindly and Marley watched and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Susan was being nice to that baby, and Marley for all intents and purposes was a baby right now. Her messy diaper proved it, but how could she admit that that was currently one of her problems. "You're okay baby," Susan cooed and she rocked the doll gently. Finally she frowned and looked up at Marley. "Marley sweetheart, this baby is so scared, do you know what happened? The baby won't tell me anything, maybe the baby will tell you, and you can tell me," Susan tried.

_"She does this weird thing with referrals sometimes," Santana had said nervously. She was standing at the door to the nursery, getting ready to leave and had a last minute memory. Susan had to know about the referral thing._

_"Sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt her, and yes she's going to cry, and be scared but there are a lot of babies that come through this room," Susan assured her, smiling at how much of a nervous mother Santana was._

_"No, you don't understand, it's very weird. She'll tell me that Teddy Bear has a problem now. It's not her. She puts all of her issues into that bear and I can't take care of her, until we go through it with the bear. Last week she had a fever, and needed tylenol. She was miserable for half the day, because I had to prove to her that I could take care of Teddy Bear. Do you know how hard it is to check Teddy Bear's temperature?" she asked, smiling slightly as she watched Marley play with one of the musical toys on the floor._

_"How did you manage?" Susan asked._

_"I don't remember," Santana said honestly and sadly, "I just thought you should know she does this."_

_"I'm glad you told me, I'll keep it in mind," Susan said._

Marley looked skeptically at the baby, but once Susan put it down, Marley scooped it up, pulled it close, cried even harder, and began wailing for her Mommy. "Alright, I know this isn't going to be good, and you're going to scream and be even more upset, but you need to be changed, and you need some love right now. Nanny has to call the shots little girl," she said.

She stood up and then knelt down in front of Marley who didn't respond at all. "Okay Marley. You need to be changed. Baby Marley needs a new diaper and I know she misses her mommy, so Nanny is going to pick you up, and put you on the changing table and you can cry and scream all you want. As soon as you're changed though, we're going to go and sit in that rocking chair over there and Nanny is going to hold her poor frightened little girl. I know you miss Mommy, and she's coming back, but I can't allow you to stay this upset, you're going to be sick if you keep it up," she told her calmly.

She stood up straight, braced her body and lifted Marley to her feet. Marley let out a blood curdling scream and began gasping for breath once Susan put her on the changing table. She kicked and fussed and Susan simply held the thrashing girl lightly in place, letting her get it out. The more exhausted she was, the better. She did not want to use restraints on Marley. That would only make things even more stressful. Marley kicked her heels into the table and screamed herself hoarse. Her left leg cramped and she cried even harder. Susan saw the spasm and very carefully put pressure on the leg, to help ease the cramp. "Shhh, it's just Nanny baby, you're okay. Nanny's here and Mommy's coming back very soon for her little girl. Mommy Santana misses Baby Marley, so much that she was crying when she left, but Mommy Santana has a job to do, so we have to let her do it, and then she'll come back to her baby," Susan crooned sweetly, but Marley never heard her, she just laid there and screamed.

Susan felt like time was crawling by at a snail's pace. Every second seemed to take a full hour to pass by and Marley was just getting more and more worked up as time passed. Susan wished the little girl would calm down, but she knew that was asking a lot. Eventually the fight went out of her, but she had no idea how much time had passed. Her eyes were practically swollen shut and the more she tried to focus, the more of a headache she got.

She never heard the door open and never heard Rachel's voice. "Oh my goodness," Rachel said.

"She wet herself dear, and I went to change her. She's terrified, would you like to try? She's not thrashing as much as she was a moment ago," Susan explained.

"Oh Marley, you were doing so well sweetheart," Rachel crooned gently and she carefully lifted Marley's top and began slipping her sweatpants over her hips. "Shhh, nice and easy baby," she said softly. Marley was lost in the past, and when she found her voice again she began screaming, making Rachel and Susan jump a little bit when she did. Finally she felt warm hands on her bare hips and a very familiar voice started breaking through the fog of her distress. "Mama," Marley pushed out.

"Yes baby, Mama came to see you. Mama came to wait with you, till Mommy gets done with work. Mama's here, you're okay," she said, but as she said it she knew it would do no good. Fresh tears fell yet again and Rachel frowned. "Lay still my baby girl. Shhh, just breathe, very still, can you stay still while Mama changes you?" she asked her.

"Mama!" Marley pushed, gasping for air at this point.

"Yes baby, Mama's here, I'm right here Marley. Lay still. Let Mama change you," she told her and Marley continued to cry, but she didn't fight too much. Rachel made quick work of putting on the new diaper and then looked to Susan. "Is she restrained?" she asked.

"No, not at all," Susan said kindly. "I just held her there and let her tire herself out for the back thirty minutes.

"MAMA!" Marley screamed and her eyes popped wide open as fear registered over her body.

Rachel jumped at the scream but very quickly placed her open palm on Marley's cheek and sang softly, getting her to focus on her voice. "I think you should sit with her until Santana gets back darling. Just in the rocking chair over there. That's all I was going to do with her," Susan suggested and Rachel nodded her agreement.

"Oooh, my big baby girl," Rachel cooed softly. "Mama wishes you were just a little bit tinier sometimes, so we could pick you up," she told her. She guided her to the oversized rocking chair and instantly, Marley's head went to Rachel's shoulder. "Shhh, there's my baby girl, there she is. Nice and clean, nice and calm, you're okay Marley," Rachel said kindly.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"Mommy's working baby. She sent Mama a text and wanted to know if I could come back to help. So I got out of work, because they didn't need me for the rest of the night and as soon as she's done, Mommy's going to come in here and you and Mommy and Mama Rae are all going to go home and see Papa," Rachel said softly.

Susan watched with a sad smile and marveled at how Marley went from complete hysteria to minor hysterics once she focused in on Rachel, although now she was begging for her Mommy, which was understandable.

"Marley baby, look what Mama has," she said brandishing one of Marley's pacifiers and Marley looked afraid. "No my love, you know better, never forced, this is always Marley's choice, but we know that it helps Marley calm down and feel safer, doesn't it?" she asked gently petting her face softly, finally getting Marley to calm down some more. Marley turned her head slightly and guided Rachel's hand to her mouth. She wanted that pacifier badly, because breathing was painful right now and she'd learned over time that breathing got easier with the pacifier in. "There's Mama's good girl," Rachel cooed softly and then began rocking gently.

"Muma," Marley cried softly around her pacifier.

"As soon as she's done little one, I promise," Rachel said kindly. It was only ten minutes later that Santana walked into the room, not saying a word.

Marley was finally asleep, pressed tightly against Rachel, her hand in a death grip on Rachel's sweatshirt. "She's out," Rachel said softly as another adult carefully tip toed into the room, went over to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of something, and then left them alone. "Who was that?"

"Casey, he's got a client who fluxes in age. As soon as we vacate here, he's bringing the person in," Santana explained.

"It may take a while, I came in and she was a mess. Her eyes were practically swollen shut," Rachel explained.

Santana frowned and moved closer, kneeling down. "Do you want to wake her up gently now, or shall we wait?" Santana asked.

"Now, or she's really going to fall asleep and have a major spasm," Rachel said nodding toward Marley's knuckles that were almost bone white from the grip she had.

Santana smiled and moved in closer, perching herself on the edge of the rocking chair. "Marley baby. Wake up love, Mommy's done, it's time to go home," she said.

"Muma," she mumbled around her pacifier.

"Yes baby, Mommy's done, we can all go home now, but you have to wake up," Santana cooed softly and Marley loosened her grip a hair to roll over and look at Santana.

"Muma," she cried, more tears flowing, but this time, tears of relief. She'd been so scared, she hadn't known entirely what was going on. "Muma," she said again.

"Yes baby, Mommy," Santana assured her and Marley practically rolled out of Rachel's lap into Santana's arms, her head going for Santana's should immediately, her arms wrapping around Santana's neck, and she whimpered. "Shhh, Mommy's here baby," she assured her.

"Owie," Marley whimpered.

"Look at Mommy sweetheart, where's owie?" she asked and Rachel smiled. Santana's mothering side was always a surprise and joy to see. Marley whined and didn't budge, the most she was saying was that she hurt, and that was it. "Come on baby," Santana said shifting them so they could stand up. "Let's say thank you and goodbye to Nanny Susan and then head home okay?"

Marley whined quietly and turned her face inward so that her eyes were hidden by Santana's chest.

"Wanky," Rachel teased and Santana shot her a look.

"If her pacifier wasn't stabbing me in the boob, that might be funny," she said.

"Come on, I'll help you get her home," Rachel said.


	21. Chapter 21

**HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!**

**Where I live, today is Mother's Day, so to all the Moms out there Happy Mother's Day to you!**

**I'm glad to know you are all enjoying the story so far. I'm going to play it safe and say that the warnings for this chapter are only as vivid as your imagination is. Previous chapters have described Terri's torment, but this time, you just see Marley struggle with things and have a few tantrums. I didn't actually tell you what she was remembering.**

**Also I have to clarify this now because I've read over the chapter myself and there is one part that just didn't come out quite right, but I don't know how else to describe it. Marley is "bounced" by Santana. She's not ACTUALLY bounced though. People do this all the time. If you are holding something in your arms and it's either bulky or heavy, you start to lose your grip, so you heft it upward a bit and then readjust so you can hold it better. The ONLY word I could come up with for that was bounce. Hopefully this makes more sense when you get to that section of the chapter.**

**I wish you all a wonderful day and as always if you have any questions feel free to PM me, and I'll do my best to answer them.**

**Many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their encouragement and assistance along the way. **

**Happy reading!**

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, Marley was crawling all over the house and had gotten back all of her letters, which was great, but she had developed a terrible stubborn streak and had gotten very fresh over the last two days. Now her tantrums were confined to eating and sleeping. She didn't want to do either of them when she was told, and when she had to be doing therapy she would beg and plead to take a nap and skip lessons. At the current moment, she was arguing about breakfast, which was already two hours later than Santana liked it to be.<p>

"No I'm not eating it!" she yelled at Santana.

"Excuse me little girl?" Santana asked her firmly. Marley had been slipping in and out of her younger state a lot more now, testing her boundaries and seeing how far she could go and get away with things.

"I'm not eating," she said firmly.

"Yes you are, because you asked me to make it, so I did, and you my darling girl need to eat. Whether you eat it now or later is a different story, but you do not get to talk to me like that," Santana scolded her.

Kurt and Rachel were in the kitchen and Kurt leaned in close. "Marley could be her actual child with that attitude," he said and Rachel struggled to hold back her laughter.

"I want toast," she said angrily.

"Not now. You asked me for chicken and rice. That is what you are eating. Now do you want to sit quietly and eat like a good girl, or would you rather sit in time out?" Santana asked her and both Kurt and Rachel watched in surprise as Marley raised an eyebrow in question and as a challenge.

"I WANT TOAST!" Marley screamed.

"Then you can go to the corner and sit there for ten minutes. You are being far too stubborn and rude right now," Santana said.

"I'm not going!" Marley yelled and Kurt and Rachel froze. If anyone in the club had pulled a move like that, it would have resulted in a spanking, but there was no way Santana would do that to Marley.

Instead of reacting quickly, Santana calmly walked over to Marley and grabbed her tightly. Fortunately for Santana and unfortunately for Marley, Marley was still severely underweight and easily accessible. Santana lifted her up a bit, and Marley shrieked when she was "bounced" slightly so Santana could lift her higher and not drag her across the floor.

"NO NO NO!" Marley screamed.

"Stop screaming," Santana said kindly and she set her to her feet and Marley tried to plant them in place so that she wouldn't be moved to the corner, but she was so weak, she couldn't. "Listen to me very closely little girl. If you don't pick up your feet, I'm going to end up dragging you to the corner and that is not safe for you or me, so either go on your own, or I'm taking you, which is it?"

"No corner!" Marley whined and Santana almost felt the shift in her body from stubborn teenager to stubborn little girl.

"Yes corner. You do not get to yell at Mommy without punishment. You know much better than that," Santana said seriously and she started to walk and Marley let her feet move with her, until she was in the corner. "Sit," Santana told her and Marley pouted and stood there angrily and pouting. "Fine, stand, but you do not leave this corner until I tell you and every time I have to bring you back, we start all over again, do you understand?" she asked her.

"I don't wanna!" Marley whined. Santana simply pet her hair gently and left her in the corner. Santana walked over to the kitchen table and watched Marley carefully and while she had been protesting severely, she hadn't actually left the corner and Santana was keeping an eye on the clock to time the ten minutes.

"That is your child, all the way," Rachel teased her, kissed Santana's cheek, then Kurt's and headed out the door.

"MAMA!" Marley screamed when she saw her starting to leave.

"Stay," Rachel said kindly. "Stay there honey, so you don't have to redo your corner time. I have to go to work baby, I'll be back later," she explained.

"No, stay, don't go, I'm a good girl," she cried.

"Go, I'll explain it," Santana said and once Rachel left, Marley sunk to the floor in hysterical sobs, terrified that Rachel had left her, because she'd misbehaved. On top of falling into hysterics, she wet her diaper and was hit with a muscle cramp in her thigh, and she fell to her side, screaming in pain. Santana sighed and looked at Kurt. "Do we have any bananas?" she asked him.

"You two shared the last one, last night. I can fix her some oatmeal or we have almonds and peanuts."

"Almonds, only like six or so. I want her to eat the chicken, it will get more protein into her," Santana sighed and she got up and went over to her screaming little girl, who was now a flood of tears, crying for her Mama. "Oh my baby, Terri really messed you up," she sighed and pulled Marley into her arms and rocked her gently, slowly, back and forth, hushing her quietly, waiting for her to calm.

"Mama," Marley finally whined, trying to get out of Santana's arms and back into the corner. She was sure that being out of the corner, was going to cause her more trouble. That's how things worked, wasn't it?

"Mama went to work baby, she'll be back," Santana told her softly, giving her several kisses to her temple as she spoke, knowing it was a tension point. If you were able to gently touch Marley's temple, ankle, or wrist, she would start to calm down. "It's okay my sweet girl, you're alright, Mommy's here and Papa's here and we're going to feed you some almonds and then we're going to sit down and you're going to eat what is now your lunch," Santana informed her.

"Mama home, Mama home," Marley begged still wriggling around to get back into the corner. If she got back into the corner, Rachel would come home, she was convinced of it. "I good girl, Mama come home," she cried.

"Shhh, stop and listen Marley," Santana said strongly. "Listen to Mommy. Mama went to work. You are finishing your corner time with me now and then we are going to get up and sit down and eat. You are not going to scream at Mommy any more and if you do, then you will be back in the corner," Santana told her.

"No, I good, I good, Mama home, let go, I'll stay," she said still trying to fight to get into the corner.

"You're a very good girl sweetheart and that is not why Mama left. You know that my love. Mama had to go to work. She works in a new show, so she had to go to rehearsal, she'll be back tonight," Santana told her.

"No, I good, Mama come home," she pleaded.

"Shhhh, take a breath my love. Breathe with Mommy, and then we're going to have some almonds and your lunch," Santana told her and Marley yelped when another cramp hit her leg and she writhed a little bit on the floor. Kurt came over quickly and looked at Marley.

"Look at me baby, you need pressure to help the cramp. I'm going to do what Mr. Joe told us will work," he said. "It's just like when you sit on our lap," he said and she nodded that she understood and continued to whimper. Kurt straddled her leg and sat down. It eased the cramp immediately, but she was still upset. "Here baby, have the almond, it will help," he told her gently feeding it to her and she leaned back against Santana, exhausted and afraid.

"Mommy, I good, I sorry," she said sadly.

"What are you sorry for my love?" Santana asked her gently.

"For being bad girl," she said softly.

"Okay, now look at me," Santana said kindly and she waited an impossibly long minute for Marley to even think about lifting her gaze and then she finally did it. "What you did was definitely naughty. Screaming at me, or anyone, like that, is a big no no and you know this, but you are still a good girl," Santana told her.

"No, bad baby, no good," Marley cried.

"Who said?" Santana asked her and Marley looked stunned. No one had ever asked her that before. She was just told what she was; by Terri and by the slew of men Terri had introduced to her. Even when she was with Santana, they never asked her what she thought, they just told her what she was. The main difference was Terri used every possible word she could to knock Marley down and Santana, Rachel, and Kurt, used everything they could to build her up.

"Look at me baby. You are a good girl Marley and I accept your apology. No more tantrums, and in a few minutes, Papa will get off of your leg and we'll go eat together," Santana told her.

"Mama home," Marley pleaded.

"When Mama finishes work, she will come home, I promise you," Santana told her and she cuddled her carefully while Kurt continued to sit on Marley's leg.

"It doesn't hurt now Papa," Marley told him softly.

"Very good baby," he smiled and got off of her leg and he and Santana helped her to sit at the kitchen table. "Take a tiny bite sweetheart, if it's not warm enough, I'll heat it for you," he told her.

"I can eat it like this," she said.

"Don't be silly my love, if it's not warm enough, it won't taste good," he told her and stood next to her, waiting for her to take a bite. Instead, she sat there staring at it and Kurt reached behind him and lightly slapped Santana's back to get her attention.

She turned around and spoke kindly. "Marley my love, it's Papa's night to cook dinner. Do you want to help?" Santana asked, trying to distract her. However Marley was really far into her head, reliving some memory, so Santana moved in front of her and knelt down. She carefully reached up and touched her cheek. "Come back to Mommy sweetheart, come on," she cooed gently and Marley blinked a few times, whimpered and then began panting. "There you are," Santana smiled.

"I sorry, I sorry," she said on the verge of tears.

"Shhh, you're okay, you have nothing to be sorry for baby. You haven't done anything wrong. Papa just wants to know if the food is warm enough, and I don't think it is. Here, we'll check together okay?" she asked and she picked up a small forkful of rice with a bit of chicken on it and blew on it, just to be sure, before feeding it to Marley and then taking a similar bite for herself. "Mommy thinks it could be a little bit warmer," Santana said.

"No, it's okay," Marley said quickly and Santana remained patient.

"Are you sure sweetheart? Just a little bit warmer maybe? We can put it in the microwave for about thirty seconds, just to warm it up some," Santana tried.

"No, it's fine, I eat," Marley said and she shoveled a large forkful into her mouth, in panic, and started to choke on it. Santana patted her on her back, helping her to clear her lungs and cough up something if she needed to while handing the plate to Kurt.

"Heat it up. Just a little though," Santana said handing Kurt the plate and Marley burst screams, trying to grab the plate back to eat it, afraid she wouldn't get any more food for the day. Marley was so frantic, she was actually jumping and slamming into things. Santana grabbed her and held her tight, guiding her head to her shoulder. "Shhh, it's Mommy Santana baby, you're safe," she told her and Marley didn't know how to respond, so she just kicked and reached, trying to get to the food before they took it away forever.

"No, I good, I eat!" she screamed and she reached as hard as she could, nearly knocking Santana over, so Santana gripped her tighter and let her scream while she braced her own back against the kitchen sink. Talking was doing no good. Marley wasn't focused at all and the only way to get her to focus was to wait for her to come back to them. Santana was afraid if she didn't restrain her Marley would reach too hard, too fast, and injure herself. The microwave beeped and Kurt went to take the plate out, but Santana stopped him.

"Wait," Santana said seriously.

"Really?" he asked.

"I just don't want her crashing into anything, like you, or the floor," Santana told him and she gripped Marley as tight as she could. "Marley Rose, I need you to listen to Mommy very carefully," she told her seriously, speaking directly into her ear, at a soft tone to get her attention. Marley trembled but finally did calm down and Santana sighed in relief. "Now, we're going to sit down, and Papa will bring the plate over, but Mommy is going to feed you to start. You can help, but Mommy is in charge. We will go slow and controlled so you do not choke, understood?" she asked as she carefully guided the distraught girl to the kitchen table and helped her to sit back down. Santana sat on her left side and watched Marley eye the fork carefully, tension building in her body. "Ah, ah, ah, you will get to eat Marley, I'm not taking it away, but we are not animals. You can pick up the fork, but calmly," Santana said seriously.

Marley reached for it and Kurt waited for his cue from Santana. Marley was shaking, why he wasn't sure, but it broke his heart to see her so upset about food. First she was being difficult about eating what she'd asked for, and then she'd had a panic attack about eating it as it was. He hated to even think about what Terri must have done to the poor girl. He did know that her relationship with food was not a good one and they were very lucky if they could get her to even eat half of a plate they made for her. He moved to the table with the plate and Marley went to grab the food as fast as she could. "Stop," Kurt told her, taking her hand. "Slow baby, slow and controlled, it's very hot, you must blow on it to cool it off a little bit," he told her seriously and she started to cry.

"Shhh, you can eat it sweetheart, but slow," Santana told her and she guided Marley's hand. "Look baby, too much steam, blow on it a little bit, then eat it," Santana coached, but Marley was too afraid they were going to take it away again, so she put the whole hot bite in her mouth and winced as it burned her tongue and then simply swallowed it whole, not even bothering to chew it. "Marely Rose!" Santana scolded. "Are you trying to make yourself sick?" she asked her sternly and Marley shrunk.

"Hey, cool it," Kurt told Santana seriously. The last thing they needed was another outburst. "Okay Marley Rose, if you aren't going to eat like a good girl, then Papa is going to feed you, to show you how. Maybe you forgot," he said calmly and she started to cry harder. "Calm down baby, calm down." He took her fork, put on a decent sized bite, brought it to his lips, blew on it a bit and then fed it to her. She ate it, but again didn't chew it, just swallowed it whole and Kurt sighed. "Marley baby, look at Papa," he said kindly and he picked up another forkful and spoke kindly. "Mommy is right, if you do not chew it up, you are going to get sick, so take this bite and make sure you chew up the chicken, before you swallow it. I want to see your jaw go up and down," he warned her and fed her the second bite. Her jaw moved twice and then she swallowed. "Well that's some improvement, can we go for five this time?" he asked her feeding her another bite. After ten tries, she still wasn't chewing and finally she shut her mouth and turned her head, whining in protest.

"Alright, all done," Santana said and Marley let out a noise somewhere between a scream and a wail and allowed Santana to do whatever she wanted with her. She was too tired to care anymore. "I know baby, I know, I'm sorry," Santana said holding her tight and rubbing her back. "I don't know why you woke up on the wrong side of the bed sweetheart, but I think that my little girl needs a nap," she said rubbing her back in gentle strokes. "Shhh, calm down baby. You're not in trouble, you're just tired, or something," Santana said kindly and she took Marley into the bedroom.

* * *

><p>Santana came out of the bedroom half an hour later and flopped down on the couch. She had a lot to think about now. Marley was improving, but she was also still so stuck in between worlds of right and wrong that she didn't know how to act sometimes and Santana had to be very careful in how she handled her little girl. Spanking was out of the question, but when Marley was so out of it, she wished she could give her a light tap to her bottom just to startle her enough into paying attention. However, it terrified her that she could potentially scare Marley even further.<p>

She was lost in her head when Kurt stopped what he was doing and sat down to join her. "You're looking very deep," he told her.

"Thanks," she said on a half laugh.

"I guess full tummies make for sleepy babies," he said thoughtfully.

Santana nodded and then sighed, turning to look at him. "I'm just very confused, because she's very confused, and I don't really know how to handle it. She is very stuck inside her brain, she lives between two worlds I think. One where being a little girl is completely safe, she knows her 'parents' love her, even when she isn't the best behaved and she doesn't consider herself a freak," Santana said.

"What's the other world?" Kurt asked kindly.

"The one where all that exists is her being a freak and because she is, people will be mean to her all the time, just because they can be," Santana said.

"And is there a way to get rid of that world?"

"Probably."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Not a clue," Santana sighed.

"Well I wouldn't worry too long, because I'm sure, at some point, Aunty Tana will figure it out. She usually does," he said. "What time is your session today?"

"One, and I know I always tell you this, but," she started.

"Santana, I promise, I won't let her get away with murder or hurt herself, or let her get so worked up that she gets sick and/or injured. She's my little girl too," he said and his voice held a tone to it, Santana hadn't heard yet.

"Thank you for loving us," she told him with a smile. He nodded, and she patted his knee before standing up and moving to the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner while Marley slept.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Marley was awake and crying. "No Mommy, I'm good, I'm good, don't go," she said.<p>

"I'm not leaving because you did anything wrong baby," Santana assured her and without warning, Marley had crawled her way to Santana and wrapped herself around Santana's leg, sitting on her foot. Santana smiled sadly and reached down. "You know you can't stay there all day baby girl," she said.

"Mommy, don't go, I'm good, don't go," she pleaded.

"Hey, listen to me," Santana said squatting down carefully so she didn't accidentally bang Marley in the face with her knee. "Listen to me baby girl. I will never leave you because you did something naughty. You are a very good girl. You are sometimes naughty, but all little girls are, even big girls are sometimes. I'm not leaving because you did anything wrong, I'm leaving because I have to go to work," Santana said.

"No, Mommy, I good, you stay home," she begged and her voice started to slip a little bit, a small lisp coming out of a much softer and slightly higher pitched voice.

"Yes Marley, you are a very good girl," Santana told her, but Marley just held on and cried. "Come on love bug, let's go see Papa," she said.

"No, Mommy," Marley wailed and Santana couldn't fault her for being so scared. She had no idea what Terri had done to her exactly, but it was clear even to total strangers that Marley had abandonment issues.

"Yes, baby, let's go see Papa. I bet he would love to cuddle you and play games with you and watch movies with you," Santana tried, lifting Marley to her feet and Marley hung on tightly, her entire body trembling from the grip strength she was applying. "You're okay baby, you're okay, let's sit and cuddle before Mommy leaves," she said gently. She sat down and pulled Marley into her lap, cuddling her close. "Shhh, you're okay baby girl, you're okay. Look, see, Papa's here and he has cookies for you," Santana said.

"I do. I made my baby girl's favorite sugar cookies," Kurt said offering her a cookie. Santana wasn't thrilled that she was eating them because of all the sugar, however, Kurt was a really good cook and had managed to figure out how to get nutritious ingredients into the cookies, such as beets, and carrots, and apples.

"Mommy stay," Marley whimpered, but she took the offered cookie and even fed some to Santana after she took her own very small bite.

"You know what baby? Maybe you and Papa can cook something together, by the time we finish, Mommy will be back. You won't even know she's gone," Kurt tried.

"No, Papa, I good, Mommy stay, Mama home," she said getting worked up.

"Shhh, you are a very good girl Marley," Kurt assured her, "and I promise you that Mommy and Mama will be home around the same time today. We all love you so much sweetheart," he assured her.

Santana cuddled Marley tighter and spoke very softly and gently. "Should Mommy change you before I leave? Would that help a little bit?" she offered and Marley whimpered but nodded. Santana gave Kurt a look and he knew to leave. He got up, left them alone, and went to the bathroom himself. "Come on sweetheart, nice and quick, it's just you and me right now," Santana told her.

Marley cried throughout the entire change, but the only reason she was crying was because she didn't want Santana to leave at all. Once she was changed, Santana had her sit next to her on the couch and of course Marley wiggled and struggled wanting to in her Mommy's lap. "Alright princess, Papa is out of the bathroom, you're in good hands and Mama and I will be back in a little while, and then we'll all sit down together to dinner and watch a movie, because Papa doesn't have to work tonight," Santana told her.

Kurt sat next to Marley and she cried when Santana kissed her cheek, told her how much she loved her, promised to return later and then left. "Papa!" Marley wailed and threw herself at Kurt, holding on tight and trembling.

"You're okay baby girl, Papa's here," he told her and he gathered her close, rubbed her back, and rocked slowly back and forth. He leaned over and picked up the half eaten sugar cookie and held it in his hand. "Marley baby, as soon as you calm down, we can finish your cookie, and then we can start preparing dinner, or we can play with your toys," he told her. She didn't answer, she just cuddled in tighter to him so he began to sing softly to her. It was their go to, the thing that they could all do, and make her feel calm and comfortable. He was only slightly surprised when Marley turned her head inward and curled against him. She'd never done that with him before. She did it with Santana and Rachel all the time and he had thought it was because she didn't want to see things. However when he felt her breathing in deeply against him, he realized she was taking in his scent, trying to find something familiar in him to help her calm down. "We love you so much baby girl, we will never be able to properly explain it to you," he told her gently.

It took some time, but eventually she did calm down and Kurt was able to coax her into helping him cook dinner. It was going to be a simple dinner of pasta, garlic bread, and a salad. Marley however had slipped into her little girl space and decided that she was going to sit at Kurt's feet. He looked down at her and smiled, because she'd managed to pull out some storage container and turn it into a drum. "That sounds so pretty baby, what's that song?" he asked her.

"Um," Marley said suddenly not sure of the answer.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me, but you now have a very important job," he said and was grateful when she smiled and looked up at him hopefully. She looked so young and innocent, so he took a chance and treated her like the three year old she was acting as. "Okay, this is super important, are you ready?" he asked and she nodded eagerly. "You have to play your little song for me, while I cook. It will help me concentrate, do you think you can do that?" he asked her and she thought for a moment and then nodded, going back to banging on her 'drum' while Kurt cooked up dinner.

Once dinner was all prepared, Marley decided she was done with her drumming session. Her hands were starting to bother her a little bit. "Papa," she said pausing to show him her hands. "Owie," she told him and in that instant he knew she was definitely in little girl world, because had she been older, it would have been a full sentence.

"Should I kiss them better?" he asked her gently and she gave a bashful smile. "Come on my beautiful princess, the handsome King will take away your owies, and then we will sit on the couch and wait for the queens to arrive home, so that we can all have dinner together," he smiled. He gently kissed each of her palms and she giggled when he finished. "Better?" he asked her.

"Uh huh, thank you," she smiled at him.

"You are very welcome and very adorable and you did such a good job helping me with dinner that I think we should reward ourselves with a break until the Queens come home," he said. She nodded and lifted her arms up toward the ceiling. "Really? You don't want to crawl? You're getting so good at it," he tried. She defiantly shook her head and lifted her arms up again. "Alright munchkin, nice and slow," he told her. "First, you have to get on all fours, so you can get up on to your knees," he said. "Can you show Papa your knees?" he asked. She pointed to them and then smiled at him. "Very smart," he said leaning in and giving her a kiss to her forehead. "Now can you get up on them, like Papa is?" he asked her and with some struggle she did. "Very good baby, now, left first, bring your left foot forward, just like Papa has," he said and she pouted. This part she hated, this was the part that would make her start to have a spasm. "I know sweetheart, but if you put your right first, you'll topple to the left and I really don't want to deal with Mommy if she finds out you fell over on my watch. Do you remember what the Queen in Alice says?"

"Off wif dere heads," Marley giggled.

"Yes," Kurt laughed. "And Papa will most certainly lose his head if Mommy finds out you fell down on your side, because of something I did. So nice and slow and just drag this foot up until it's planted on the floor. He waited patiently for her and encouraged her with his words and gently guided her with his hands in the very last moment. "Yay Marley," he praised. "Now, I'm going to stand up and then you okay?" he said gently pressing his hands on the top portion of her foot to make sure the sole of her foot was completely on the ground. If it wasn't they were both going down. It had happened once with Santana and twice with Rachel so far, and he wanted a clean record if he could manage it. He stood up, put his arms under hers and spoke kindly. "On three, you push your foot down into the floor and Papa will lift you, ready?" he asked.

She nodded and held her breath for a second. "One, two, three," he said and she let out a long exhale and wobbled furiously as Kurt lifted her up to her feet, but she let her right foot down rather quickly and stopped wobbling as much. Kurt balanced both of them and she leaned in to hug him.

"I good Papa?" she asked.

"Yes my baby girl, you are very good," he assured her and then he carefully guided her to the couch where they watched jeopardy while they waited for Santana and Rachel to come home.

* * *

><p>Santana and Rachel arrived home around the same time and walked in to find a very young Marley, playing a game with her Papa, and acting quite happy. "Please let this last," Santana whispered quietly and Rachel nodded her agreement.<p>

"Where's Marley's tongue?" he asked and she stuck it out at him. "Where are Marley's eyes?" he asked and she carefully pointed to the corners of her eyes. "Very good and what about your fingers?" he asked and she wiggled them at him. He kissed two of them and she giggled happily.

"Hey guys," Rachel smiled.

"Mama!" Marley cried happily.

"Hi baby girl," she smiled and pulled her into her a hug, as she moved closer. "I missed you today baby, did you have a good day?" she asked engaging her into conversation while Santana got out of her work outfit and changed into sweats and a tank top, glad to be rid of her constrictive clothes. "What did you and Papa do today?" she asked her.

"Papa maded dinner," she said in a very soft and high pitched voice.

"He did? Is it yummy? Did you help?" Rachel asked her taking a seat at the kitchen table and Marley sunk to the floor between Rachel's legs, to be lower and so she could rest her head on Rachel's lap. She liked doing that a lot.

"Uh huh, I helped," Marley said.

"Oh I bet dinner is fabulous then, should we all get ready to eat?" Rachel asked and Marley nodded her agreement, sighing softly and happily as Rachel played with her hair.

"Hey baby girl," Santana said coming over to them.

"MOMMY!" Marley cried happily and she scrambled to stand to hug Santana tightly.

"Ooooh, my sweet baby girl, I missed you so much today," Santana told her and Marley just hugged her as tightly as she could. "My best girl," Santana cooed gently. "Should we go get you changed before dinner?" Santana offered.

"Bath?" Marley asked.

"No, just your diaper. We can take a bath after dinner" Santana whispered gently and Marley nodded her agreement.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey Everyone,**

**Bonus Chapter! In honor of the last episode of Glee for Season 5.**

**I would like to address a few things, because I keep forgetting to do so in previous chapters. First, some of you asked about Pezberry in this story and how it will end up. I think that in this case, I'm staying as close to the show as I can, meaning good friends who are very touchy feeling (I know that part's not in the show), and that's really all it is. Several times as I was writing it got to a point where I thought maybe it go to a more romantic place between them, but as I wrote it, it just didn't work. So out that went. Secondly, there is a video on youtube called Glee Superlatives and in Part 3, Dianna Agron says that the entire Glee cast are just a little bit too touchy feely and if they were ten - fifteen years older, they'd be creeps. I LOVED that when I saw that years ago, because that is how I am with my close friends. That being said I truly believe the real life people of this show, really are still friends, and that is where my brain likes to live, so please don't judge me. I like to mix those parts of real life with the characters of the story. I know the show doesn't always do that, but it just makes me feel better.**

**Lastly, if you haven't, please go check out my RPF entitled Twitter is a Battlefield and leave a review. I'm curious what people think.**

**Warnings for this chapter: Abuse - If you have easy triggers, well you've been warned. I also feel I should have put that in EVERY chapter thus far, except for the fluffy ones. Medical information - I don't know a LOT about passing out or what exactly goes on in your body, so this is just my best attempt based on research that I've done.**

**As always - Many many many thanks to the reviewers - so grateful, as well as to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their encouragement and support. **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

><p>Two days later Marley was in the kitchen and yelling and screaming while Rachel watched from the table. "I'M NOT DOING IT," she screamed at Joe.<p>

"Marley Rose!" Rachel scolded.

"NO!" Marley yelled again, this time directing her statement directly at Rachel.

Rachel moved quickly over to her and spoke firmly. "You know much better than to yell at anyone like that. Apologize now," Rachel said. Marley had been standing but now she was seated on the ground stubbornly, pouting at her.

"No!" Marley yelled and she started to crawl away.

"Young lady, get back here right now!" Rachel said sternly but Marley ignored her, crawled into the bedroom and while on all fours she kicked the door closed behind her, slamming it shut. Rachel went into the bedroom after her and picked Marley up from under her arms. "Not okay, not by a long shot," she scolded her.

"Let me go! I'm not doing it!" Marley screamed.

"Corner, now!" Rachel said and she took her over to the corner and had her sit down. "I'm sorry about that Joe," Rachel said.

"I'm not!" Marley screamed and she kicked herself away from the wall, rolled onto her side, and started to crawl away.

Rachel went after her, picked her up and put her back, taking a firm hold of her jaw. "You know the rules little girl. You do not leave the corner until I tell you and every time you leave, you start all over again," Rachel said sternly. Marley went to pull her face away and Rachel let her be for a moment. She recognized the frustration.

"I'm not staying in the corner!" Marley yelled, but she didn't move yet.

"If you move out of this corner, then I'm going to pick you up, and you will finish your therapy with Mr. Joe right now along with an apology to him, and me, and then you'll still do your corner time," Rachel told her and she stood up. Marley waited a moment, and then made a dash to move out of the corner. "Alright then, fine, you want to move, you'll move, kicking and screaming if you feel like it," Rachel said trying to keep her frustration in check. She looked seriously at Joe. "She finishes therapy, no breaks unless it is absolutely necessary."

"NO NO NO!" Marley screamed.

"Marley Rose, look at me right now," Rachel said seriously and with a lot of anger and frustration in her face, Marley did as asked. "You know much better than to be so rude to anyone and if you're not going to stay in the corner like you're supposed to, then you are going to finish therapy; whatever Mr. Joe tells you to do," Rachel said.

"No, I fall down. Mommy won't like that. No, no, no," Marley said tears brimming in her eyes.

"I see that you are scared, and while I don't know exactly how scared you truly are about this specifically, I understand scared. So you, young lady, are going to do whatever Mr. Joe says and you're going to do it, because I'm here and he's here and we're not going to let something bad happen to you on purpose," Rachel said.

"NO! I want Mommy!" she cried.

"Mommy isn't here," Rachel said.

"Then I'm not doing it!" she screamed, a deep scowl forming on her face.

"So you're just going to be a brat and when Mommy comes home, I'm going to have to tell her what you did?" Rachel asked. She knew it was a bit of dirty trick, but she didn't really care at this point. Marley was so close to getting back full mobility, and she was stalling. No one was sure entirely as to why, but she was and Rachel had had enough.

"I'm not a brat!" Marley snapped.

"You are definitely acting like one," Rachel told her and she lifted her up to her feet and Marley didn't dare set them down. Joe wanted her to stand. Just stand. He wasn't asking her to move anywhere, just stand there and wait, but she had screamed that she wasn't going to do it. "Marley Rose, put your feet flat on the floor, before you hurt yourself," Rachel yelled.

Marley couldn't help it. She burst into tears. Rachel had never yelled at her before and it scared her. This was it. This was how it was going to happen. They were going to get her better and send her away. They didn't love her. They never had, they just took pity on her. "Rachel," Joe started.

"No, she does this. I'm here. I'll do what you say, but she does this. She doesn't get to act the way she did and get away with it," Rachel said a little more calmly.

"Alright, well then, I need you to take a breath and calm down, and I just need her to stand there. She just has to stand on her own, that's all I want. She's ready for it, she's just scared," he said.

"MOMMY!" Marley screamed.

Rachel rolled her eyes, took a heavy sigh and looked at Joe. "If you can brace her body, I will set her feet," Rachel said.

"Gently," Joe warned her while Marley screamed again for her Mommy. Rachel very carefully got down on the floor and set Marley's feet down, narrowly avoiding getting kicked in the face when Marley screamed in fear and wet herself in the process. "I just need you to stand Marley and your Mama Rae is helping you do that," Joe tried.

"MOMMY!" Marley screamed again, her body falling to dead weight while she cried.

Rachel was being very gentle. She had a careful hold of Marley's right foot and was trying to get her sole, flat to the floor, so that Marley had a good base, but Marley was scared and fighting them. "It's like trying to set water in one spot," Rachel said. Her own anger had dissipated at this point and her heart was breaking for her little girl, but she knew it had to be done, and she wasn't going to let Marley get away with acting so naughty this afternoon.

"She's terrified, and Santana is going to kill me," Joe said.

"Only after you tell me what happened," Santana said protectively from the doorway. Marley wiggled and screamed. She wormed her way down to the floor and crawled away as fast as she could, into the bedroom, crouching behind the bed, pulling her blanket off the bed, and hiding under it. "Well that was good," Santana sighed and she looked to Rachel for an explanation.

"Joe asked her to stand still," Rachel sighed.

"And?" Santana asked, waving her arms in a keep going motion, waiting for her to continue the story, figuring there was more to it than that.

"And nothing. That's what he asked to do. Stand in place, that was it," Rachel said.

"You're shaking, so you need to calm down please," Santana told her calmly and then looked at Joe. "Did she do it?"

"No. She yelled at me that she wouldn't. Rachel got involved and then you walked in and off she went," Joe said.

"That sounds too short," Santana said turning to Rachel who was moving closer to the bedroom, to listen for breathing problems. "Your turn, and come away from there please," Santana said but in her Mistress tone.

"Not your pet!" Rachel defended.

"That may be true, but if she's freaking out because of something that happened, and your voice maybe set her off, then maybe you being by the door isn't such a good idea," Santana stressed.

"Then switch with me, because she's freaking out and I do not want to be the reason she throws up, has a panic attack, or nightmares or a combination of all those things," Rachel said moving away from the doorway so Santana could get closer.

"Okay, take a breath, calm yourself and then tell me what happened," Santana said kindly so Rachel did as asked and then retold the story. "You did nothing wrong as far as I can tell," Santana told her and she gave Rachel a tight hug. "Please stop shaking though, I will go sit with her and get it all sorted out. Joe if you want an apology today, hang around, otherwise, we'll see you tomorrow," Santana told him.

"Have a good night ladies," Joe said and he headed out the door.

"You," Santana said smiling at Rachel. "You just...go...I don't know...go relax however it is you relax," Santana said and Rachel laughed. It didn't sound like a real sentence.

Santana walked into the bedroom and looked around to find Marley. Surely a nineteen year old girl would be easy to spot, but Santana couldn't find her right away. Marley was tucked, under her blanket, curled up on the floor, squeezed behind the bed, and it wasn't until she gasped for breath that Santana figured out the pile of blanket was actually Marley. "Alright baby girl, Mommy came in to talk, and I'm sitting right here waiting for you to come out and talk to me," she said.

Marley hesitated. Everything hurt her body at the moment. She had muscle cramps in her thighs, she was starting to have a spasm in her back from having been curled up on the floor and squashing herself into a tight place for the last few minutes, and the amount of tension in her body was ridiculous. Somewhere deep inside she knew that Santana was safe, it was after all, who she'd been screaming for moments ago. "Ya know, it's pretty early in the evening, I think Mommy might have time for a nice long warm bubble bath, and I also think Mommy would really like some company," she continued. Marley came out from under her blanket and looked pitifully at Santana. "Come over here please," Santana said gently.

Marley crawled over to Santana and started crying immediately. Her breath was so ragged that it came out in very broken words, and soft baby speak. "Mommy, I g'uh, I day, no bad, no go," she sputtered.

"Shhh, come here love. I'm not interested in that right now. Right now we have to get you calm, and maybe you can join Mommy in her bubble bath," she said and Marley gasped desperately for breath, her lungs burning from having held herself quiet for so long. "Breathe with Mommy," Santana said kindly and she worked with her for five minutes before it fell under control. "Very good my love, now, are you ready to join me for a bubble bath?" she asked.

"Rae?" she asked.

"Rachel?" Santana asked for clarification and Marley nodded. This set off warning bells. Marley rarely used their proper names, including when she felt like being nineteen. "No, she's not coming. I think that would be a very crowded bath. I don't think we have a big enough tub for three of us, but if you want her there with us, I'm sure she would like to join in and talk to you," she said.

"Shuh, shuh, she hay, hay, hates me," she stammered.

"Well then we need to address that before anything else," she said and Marley started to cry. "Rachel!" Santana called.

"No, no, no," Marley cried and she tried to push herself into Santana. Santana wrapped her little girl tight in her arms.

"Shhh, since when are you afraid of Mama Rae?"

"No! She hates me!" Marley cried.

"Mama Rae doesn't hate you. Mama doesn't know how to hate anyone," she said.

"She ya...ya...yell...d," Marley stammered.

"Why did she yell?" Santana asked gently.

"I bad," Marley cried.

"You yourself were a bad girl, or you did something naughty?" Santana asked her kindly and Marley grabbed the first finger.

"You know I don't think you're a bad girl Marley," Rachel said from the doorway and she stayed there not wanting to upset Marley any further.

"You yelled," Marley cried.

"I did. You were being very naughty. You screamed at Mr. Joe. You told him you weren't going to stand as he asked you to. Then you yelled at me. You crawled into your room and slammed the door shut, and then left the corner twice. None of that is okay and I got very frustrated with your poor choice of actions," Rachel said.

"Smaller please," Santana said kindly knowing that Marley was regressing from fear. She wasn't going to be able to properly handle big sentences and lectures.

Rachel sighed and took a seat on the floor opposite Marley. "Listen to me baby. What does Mommy want you to do more than anything? What is the one rule that Mommy makes sure you follow and when you don't then you sit in time out?" she asked.

"Be p'lie," she lisped.

"Yes, Mommy wants you to be polite and you were not very polite to Mr. Joe, which is why Mama yelled at you. I am sorry that my yelling scared you though," Rachel told her honestly.

"No go away," she pleaded and Santana went to scold her, but then she heard it again and knew it was fear. She would never understand why Marley thought they were going to give her away.

"Who do you think has to leave baby?" Santana asked her and Marley timidly raised her hand. "Do you want to live somewhere else?" she asked and Marley started to cry, shaking her head no. "Then you don't have to worry my love, because we're not asking you to go anywhere," Santana assured her.

"I bad, I bad, every one hates me," Marley cried, her breath going more ragged than they had anticipated it to go and for the second time in the past several months, Marley's body, let go of all the stress it had been holding on to and she passed out.

"Fuck," Santana said and her hand went immediately to Marley's nose and mouth, to check for exhalation and then to her neck to check for a pulse. "Lift her feet, and watch her face," Santana said and Rachel didn't hesitate. Santana slowly counted to ten and by five, Marley was starting to come to. "Hey baby girl," Santana crooned gently and Marley started to cry.

"Okay baby girl, come on. You come with Mama and we're going to get you into the bathroom, into pajamas, and then dinner and lots and lots of cuddle time on the couch," Rachel said. Marley didn't say anything, she didn't even try to communicate, she was still trying to figure out how she ended up flat on her back, her head in Santana's lap, with her feet in Rachel's arms.

"Nice and slow baby, nothing fast," Santana told her. "You go with Mama and I'll be right there. I have to call work, very quickly and then I will come in and join you," she told her giving her a soft kiss. It was a very smooth lie that even had Rachel convinced for about ten seconds before she caught the look of pure fear in Santana's eyes. Once they got her to her feet and she hung on to Rachel, resting her head on Rachel's shoulder, feeling nothing but exhaustion.

* * *

><p>Santana sat in the kitchen and dialed Dr. Martinez on her phone. Once the numbers were in and she hit send, she started to pace waiting for him to pick up. "Dr. Martinez," he finally said.<p>

"Thank god. This is Santana Lopez, and I'm sorry to bother you, but Marley just fainted," she said very quickly.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" he asked not recognizing her name right off the bat.

"Santana Lopez, I was brought in by Beth Harris, owner of Eve's Garden. You know her because your wife is a client at Eve's Garden and you were contracted by Ms. Harris to oversee any medical emergencies," Santana said trying to stay calm, but she was losing her patience. "Marley Rose, brought into the hospital for hypothermia, muscle trauma, burns, bruises, and a few broken ribs," Santana told her.

"Oh, Santana, I'm sorry," he said remembering who she was as she jogged his memory.

"Good, well she passed out. She started hyperventilating and passed out. One minute she was fine and the next she was out cold and she came around about twenty seconds later. What do I do?"

"Okay, slow down, what happened first?"

"She was crying and upset and then she passed out. She cried pretty hard, got afraid of my roommate and then out she went."

"Was she gasping for breath?"

"Yes."

"Then it was a simple lack of oxygen to her brain from struggling for breath."

"Do I have to do anything special though? Because this is the second time she's done this. Both for the same reason, and the last time she was in a hospital. I live in a brownstone in Bushwick," she said.

"That may be true, but I'm going to tell you that you are perfectly okay and Marley is as well. She's probably going to be tired and confused for a while, just have her stay calm and relaxed, cuddle with her if she wants it, have her eat something she likes, and stay calm. Just calm and relaxed, let her body relax and come back to normal. If she passes out again then you can bring her in for an exam, but I'm sure it was just stress. That's what it was the last time," he said.

"Are you really sure?" Santana asked and while it was a question, she practically growled it at him. Marley was her cub and she was in full Mama Bear mode and she was going to go to any length possible to protect her.

"I am sure Santana, and you have my number, so if you need to call, then do so and I will come over to you and check her out immediately, alright?" he bargained.

"Yes, that's fine," Santana said and she disconnected. She paced a little bit more, pulled herself together and moved to the bathroom. At first she shoved her hands under her arms and leaned against the doorway, she had to stop herself from shaking, and she smiled in at Rachel and Marley, who were both seated in the tub, with the curtain half drawn and Rachel was singing Marley a lullaby while Marley played with the water around her waist, finding it very relaxing. Rachel made a good pillow and Marley felt her body and heart beat start to calm down, especially as Rachel played with her hair and sang to her.

Santana moved to the tub and took a seat on the ledge. "Well hello there my lovely baby girl, did I miss anything?" she asked and Marley shook her head no, but that was all. "Do you think you can eat some dinner when you're all done with your bath? Mommy will order in pizza," she said and Marley nodded her agreement. "Do you feel okay?" she asked her with concern and Marley nodded yes again. Santana wasn't convinced, but she was still working on calming herself.

"Marley let Mama wash her back and her legs and her arms and her hair, and then she took care of the rest and now we're just sitting in the nice warm water," Rachel said kindly.

"I am very glad to hear that princess," Santana smiled. "I'm really proud of you baby," she told her. "Okay, pizza time. Do you want plain or veggie delight?" she asked holding up two fingers and Marley chose the second option. She suddenly had a craving for tomatoes that she didn't understand and on the veggie delight pizza, they always put on extra tomato slices. "You got it," she said and she gave Marley a kiss to her forehead. "Let me go order it," she said. Santana was able to leave and Marley turned to look at Rachel with concern.

"It's alright baby girl, Mommy will be right back. She's just ordering the pizza. As soon as she does, I'm sure she'll be back," Rachel assured her and they sat for three more minutes before Santana returned with a warm towel for Marley to wrap up in once she was out of the bath. They got her wrapped up and Rachel gave her a kiss. "Go sit with Mommy baby, I'll be right there to cuddle and then you can pick a movie for all of us to watch," she said. Marley nodded and went willingly.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Marley had eaten half a slice of pizza, watched a movie with the girls, was put to bed, and Kurt came home to find Rachel and Santana curled up tightly together on the couch drinking wine. "This is not normal behavior," he commented.<p>

"We're decompressing, veggie pizza is in the oven," Santana said and she took a very long pull on her glass of wine.

"You're gonna vomit if you keep that up," Rachel scolded kindly and then took Santana's glass and took the same exact long pull.

"Hypocrite," Santana said and Rachel ignored her, put her head on Santana's lap and Santana began playing with her hair as if she were Marley.

Kurt came back to the living room with his freshly heated pizza and looked at the two of them. "Who are you and what did you do with my roommates?" he asked them seriously.

"We're fine," Rachel told him and she changed the channel to some home cooking show, rather than the movie channel they had been watching.

"How do you know I wasn't watching that?" Santana asked her seriously. Rachel lifted up the remote and put it in Santana's hands.

"Go on then, change it to what you want," Rachel said and Santana looked down at her and frowned. "And stop frowning, you're going to get wrinkles and we're far too young for that," Rachel told her and she leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"Yuck," Santana said and then returned the kiss.

"Stop thinking about it," Rachel said to her. "Marley went to sleep, peacefully, just like we were told to have it happen. You're her Mommy, you got her to do what will make her sleep well. You're a good Mommy," Rachel said.

"You didn't do anything wrong, you know that," Santana assured her and then she looked up at Kurt. "We're fine," she insisted.

"No you aren't. I've never seen you two cuddle," he said.

"We cuddle all the time," Santana said.

"You cuddle Marley, not each other. Where is our little bear cub. What happened?" he said.

"She passed out, but came to, and Santana called the doctor, and we just have to keep her calm, and that's it really," Rachel said and Kurt's jaw practically hit the floor.

"First off, Marley passing out, is not nothing, secondly, is she okay, and thirdly are the two of you okay?" he asked seriously, knowing that it couldn't have been an easy situation for either of them, and this was probably the reason the two of them were so close at the moment.

"No it isn't nothing, yes she's fine, and we will be when we finish drinking," Santana said lifting her wine glass.

"I'm getting us more pizza," Rachel said getting up from her comfortable position, grabbing two more slices of pizza and filling the wine glasses as well. She didn't like the idea of Santana getting too drunk or too relaxed on all the wine, so she was hoping the bread in the pizza would help counteract that.

Once she was set, Kurt looked at the two of them and sighed. "Can I get the whole story, or am I going to be left in the dark?" he asked. Rachel calmly retold the story and Santana sighed.

"The problem is, Joe is coming back tomorrow and I have to work," Santana said. "Which isn't normally a problem, but you both have to work too, and I'm not leaving her alone with Joe. That isn't fair to either of them, especially since she is in a place where she's scared out of her mind, or being totally stubborn, or some combination of both. My only possible options left, are cancel work, cancel therapy, or have her do therapy at work, and I don't know that Miss Beth would approve that," she said.

"Only one way to find out," Kurt said handing her his phone.

* * *

><p>Marley was lying in bed. She started out feeling calm and relaxed. She fell asleep, feeling warm and peaceful. Rachel and Santana had assured her countless times that they were right near by, and if she needed them, she just had to call out. It made her feel safe and secure, knowing someone was just outside the door. However what pulled her out of that safe and peaceful feeling was hearing Terri's voice coming toward her.<p>

_"Where are you sweet cheeks?" her voice called and it was cold and scary. The name was a pet name, Marley knew that, but typically pet names came with love and caring behind them. Terri may have meant it to be sweet and caring, but it never came across that way and she had pinched Marley so many times, her body ticked every time she heard that name. Her face was starting to hurt now, just hearing it, and she tried to protect her face, but her hand was pinned down. She tugged a bit at her bonds and started to cry._

_"There you are," Terri smiled, getting so close to Marley that Marley shut her eyes. "Are you playing hide and seek?" Terri crooned gently and Marley tried to still herself. Her breathing was starting to get ragged and she tried really hard to control it. "Look at you trying to be a big girl," Terri laughed coldly and she picked up the flat backed hair brush and slammed it four times into the sole of Marley's foot, causing her to cry out in pain. The second she did the pacifier was shoved into her mouth and clipped in place behind her head. "That's what you get for trying to be big," Terri yelled. "You are nothing but a little baby slut and if you don't follow my rules, you're going to be out on your own. No one loves you. No one will. Why would anyone love a freak like you," Terri said. "In fact, I don't even know why I waste my time with you," Terri said. "Maybe I should just leave you here to fend for yourself and go find someone younger, cuter, and more willing to listen to me," she said and Marley screamed into her pacifier in fear. "Are you going to listen to me now?" Terri asked her, and Marley nodded, struggling to breathe._

Santana was on the couch, with Rachel leaning against her when she heard movement she didn't like. She carefully pushed Rachel off of her, drawing a small whine out of her and Santana smiled. "Lady Hummel can keep you warm," she laughed and then headed into the bedroom. She watched as Marley rolled around on the bed, clearly caught in a dream and she made it over to the bed, just in time to catch Marley, before she fell off the bed.

She gathered her close and started to sing softly. "Well sometimes I go out by myself, and I look across the water," she sang gently. She didn't think it mattered what the song was, she just had to sing something to pull Marley out of her dream. By the time she hit the chorus Marley was awake and looking at Santana with fear in her eyes.

"No one can love me," she cried, little tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Why is that sweetheart?" Santana asked kindly.

"Mmm baby s'ut," she hiccuped.

"Okay, first off, I never want to hear that word to describe you, ever again. You are not a slut. You never have been and you never will be one. That is a very not nice word," Santana said slipping between her Mommy and supporter Santana roles. "When you are ready to talk to me about whatever it is you want to talk about, we will sit and talk, in what ever form you are most comfortable in, be it a little girl, or a teenager. The only thing I will tell you right now, and remind you of, every day if I have to, is that Terri was a bully and said and did things to you that were very wrong. Calling you a slut, that was wrong, and it's not true," Santana told her.

"Mommy," she said softly. "Therapy is scary, and not fun, and I don't want to fall down, and I was going to and no one cared. Mama yelled at me, because I was bad, but I was tryin' a tell them I was gonna fall down," she said softly, slipping into a younger state of mind.

"Well, I will tell you these three things because I don't believe in lying to you," Santana said. "But after these three things, the current discussion is over and you and Mommy are going to bed, because we both had long stressful days, deal?" she asked and Marley nodded. "First, yes, therapy is scary and you might fall down. Secondly, we wouldn't let Mr. Joe do anything to hurt you, which I know you know deep down, but have trouble believing when you're scared. Lastly, Mama was just as frustrated with your bad choices as you were with Mr. Joe's choices on therapy, which is why she yelled. "Now, the very very last thing, is that I love you and Mama loves you, and Papa loves you, and now we're going to go to sleep."


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone,**

**Three chapters in 1 week - Whaaaat? There's a reason for that, A)chapter 22 was actually very short. B) chapter 23 is a bit on the shorter side as well, and C) I'm going away this weekend so no more updates until May 25th.**

**This is a semi fluffy chapter. No crazy memories.**

**Also - I hope this works - to the guest that left a comment about how they think Marley might have trouble dealing with her past because of the whole spanking issue, please please please PM me. I value all my readers opinions, and I would like to talk to you more about your thoughts. You might be right, you might have sparked something else I had in mind, or you might be able to help me enhance what I already have in mind as far as Marley's healing process goes.**

**I'm not sure what else needs to be said for this chapter. I wish you all a wonderful Friday, weekend, and week, and chapter 24 will be up May 25th. Please leave a review if you have time to do so. They help me to keep motivated, and as some of my readers will attest, I do contact some of you to try and draw some more inspiration out of you, so to that credit, the following people deserve credit. NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, Beaner008, Perhaps Glee, and Cpasq9. I'm sorry that I didn't give the last two credit sooner. :(**

**Be well everyone!**

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><p>The next morning was much calmer. Marley woke up before Santana and decided she wanted water. Her cups had been moved to the lower cabinets so she could reach them, and if she used a chair, they figured she could pull herself up to standing at the fridge to get some water. Deciding she was thirsty, she slipped out of bed and crawled to the kitchen. It would be better than waking Santana up, besides that Santana would probably be mad if she did that. So very carefully she made her way into the kitchen, hoping to be super quiet so she didn't wake anyone. She was panting by the time she got there. She hadn't fully woken up yet, she just knew she was thirsty. She stared at the cabinets and thought for a few minutes.<p>

_"They're over here baby," Kurt had said the other day. "See, we're moving all of your cups down to this cabinet so that if you ever need to get a drink for yourself, then you'll be able to do so._

Marley took a deep breath and then decided she was too tired, so she laid down on the floor and waited for her body to come back to normal. "No spasms," she wished quietly. After a few moments, she was able to take a slow deep breath and looked toward the cabinets, trying to remember which one of them stored what she wanted. She closed her eyes and saw Kurt standing toward the fridge. He was near the fridge when he'd showed her, so she opened her eyes, crawled toward the fridge and started at the second cabinet in. She found the cups in the next drawer and pulled out the clear one with the stars. She put it by her knees and crawled over to the chair. She carefully used her knees to move the cup along toward a kitchen chair. She put the cup on the chair and then she carefully scooted it across the floor, inch by inch, pushing it with her arm and then crawling closer to it, until it was pushed up against the fridge. Once she was all set, she knew she had to pull herself to standing. She knew how, but she'd only done it with help before, so she thought for a few moments.

_"All of your movement comes from your core Marley, every little bit. If you want to pick up your arm, you have to draw in your core slightly to support your ribcage that will support your shoulder, that will allow you to lift your arm up. Anything you do, I always want you to keep a tight core," Joe had told her. "I also need you to remember to exhale on movement. When you use your breath, movement becomes much easier. The first thing you do will be inhale to prepare and exhale on the movement. This is the key factor though. When you run out of exhale, you have to stop moving," _he had told her. Taking a very controlled breath in, she pulled her left foot up under her and let out a long sigh. One foot down and one to go. She was very focused and so she never heard Rachel come out of the bedroom and stand there watching her.

Marley struggled a little bit and Rachel wanted desperately to rush over and help her, but she knew that wouldn't do any good, so she stood and waited. Movement caught her eye and she turned slightly to see Santana coming out of her own bedroom. She quickly walked over and wrapped her in a hug. "Just watch," she said whispered into her ear and Santana grinned.

"You're going to just let her struggle?" she asked.

"I'm letting her try, she obviously wants to," Rachel said. Santana smiled and then brought her finger to her lips and they both fell quiet watching Marley try. She was now up on her knees and had her chest on the chair, trying to push herself into a better position, but the problem was she hadn't pushed herself up to standing yet. They hadn't worked on that and now she was in an odd state. She was stuck between standing and kneeling, still thirsty and now she was bent over the chair. She felt herself fall into despair and now she didn't know what to do. Getting up was going to be easy, or so she had thought, and now getting down, she hadn't thought about. "How long do you think it'll be before she cries or calls for help," Rachel whispered.

"Not long," Santana said frowning as she waited. As soon as the words left her lips, she knew they were a lie

"That is_ our_ child, it's gonna be forever," Rachel said.

Santana elbowed Rachel gently in the ribs and continued to watch. "Come on princess," she said softly to herself. "Just call out for help." The longer they stood there, the more Santana knew it wasn't going to happen, so she disentangled herself from Rachel and spoke softly. "Go back to bed, don't let her hear you, I'm going to bed too," she said. Rachel gave her a curious look, but the two of them went back to bed and Santana called out after a moment. "Marley! Call out baby, where are you!" Santana said loudly.

Marley's heart sunk. "Kissen Mommy!" Marley called back and Santana heard the tears in her voice immediately.

"Do you need help!" Santana yelled, forcing herself to stay in bed. She was using every ounce of muscle control that she had to stay in bed, even though she wanted to get over to her baby girl as quick as humanly possible.

Marley thought for a moment. Yes meant she couldn't do anything on her own, no meant she'd be stuck, so with a lot of upset and despair, she yelled out a yes. Santana got up out of bed and went into the kitchen. "There you are monkey," she smiled and walked over, giving her a kiss and carefully helping her to stand.

"I sorry Mommy," she cried.

"Why baby?" Santana asked her genuinely.

"Cause I 'eft an' waked you, an I was juss firssy," she said lisping quite a great deal.

"Hey, hey, hey," Santana said pulling her close. "Listen to me very carefully baby girl. You didn't do anything wrong at all. I'm not mad. In fact, I'm very proud of you. I assume you were going to get a drink of water on your own. That shows a huge improvement, because yesterday and the day before, and every day before today, you laid in bed and waited. Today you realized you could get up and go get it yourself and you gave it your best effort. I'm very proud of you," Santana told her.

"Got s'uck," she pouted.

"Yeah, well, that's okay. You can't be perfect the first go around. Remember the very first time you tried to crawl?" she asked her and Marley nodded. "I remember that too. One push of your arm forward and then you moved your knee and then your body said, no thank you, and you fell down to the floor. I remember when you first tried to drink on your own way back in the beginning too. You lifted the cup by yourself and as soon as it got an inch off the surface, your hand said, no I don't want to and it fell down. I'm not mad at all baby. You're trying and you're doing so well and I am so proud of you. What I don't know is how far you got today before some part of your body said no," Santana told her kindly keeping her in a tight hug and she was grateful when she felt Marley relax into the embrace. "Will you tell Mommy what you did?" she asked.

"I got outta bed, came here, got my cup, went to da chair, pushed it here and tried to stand up," she explained, but very slowly and carefully as she felt an impending sense of doom come over her. Surely something in all of that was wrong and she was going to be punished.

"You did all that? Marley that is amazing! We have to get you a reward of some kind! I am so proud of you baby girl," Santana said cuddling her close and giving her lots of little kisses to her face, eventually drawing a little giggle out of her.

"Hey, hey, hey, no smothering my baby in kisses. You can't keep her all to yourself. I want time with her too," Rachel playfully complained and Santana rolled her eyes before passing Marley along to Rachel who also covered her in kisses. "What are we celebrating?" she asked.

"Marley crawled out of bed, to the kitchen, got her cup and then went to the get some water from the fridge, however, she got stuck."

"Stuck where?" Rachel asked Marley.

"On dat," she pouted pointing to the chair and Santana was putting back in place.

Rachel heard the frustration and fear in her voice, so she tried to combat it slightly. "Did the chair grab you and hold you hostage?" Rachel teased and Marley smiled and giggled, shaking her head. "Did it bite you?" Rachel teased and Marley giggled and looked at Rachel, mashing her teeth, pretending to bite her and Rachel pulled her closer and covered her in kisses.

"Here baby," Santana said handing her the cup of water, which Marley gratefully took with two hands and drank greedily. "So, we need to figure something out for the day. You my darling girl, need therapy with Mr. Joe. We all have to work though, so we can do one of three things. Mommy can try to get out of work today so you can do therapy at home, or Mommy can bring you to work, and you can stay with Nanny Susan and Mr. Joe and do therapy, while Mommy works, and the last option is to cancel therapy and have it be twice as long tomorrow," she said and Marley frowned, she didn't like that answer.

"No, too much Mommy," she said immediately crying. Her words were meant to be brave, but she had had such a strange day yesterday when it came to therapy, she was afraid to say no again. Rachel worked to calm her while Santana frowned. Santana stepped closer and kept Marley tight between them.

"It's alright baby, we'll work it out and I promise you my love, I'm not mad," Santana assured her and gave her several sweet kisses.

"Mine," Rachel laughed protectively, pulling Marley closer and kissing her in the same place Santana just had. She was hoping it would make Marley feel claimed and important, because one look at this poor girl and she knew that wasn't anywhere close to what she was feeling inside.

"Alright, well then let Mommy call her job and I'll see what we can work out," Santana said and she gently placed her hand on Marley's cheek. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad, and later today we will pick out a reward for you, so think about what you'd like okay?" she asked her gently and Marley nodded.

"Mama?" she asked once Santana left the room.

"What's up baby girl?" Rachel asked.

"You mad?" she asked timidly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No baby, I'm not mad. I was just frustrated yesterday. Today is a brand new day okay?" Rachel told her and Marley nodded, even though she was unconvinced.

* * *

><p>Santana had gotten permission from Beth to bring Marley to work so she could have her therapy done at the club. "Okay princess, here's the plan. You and I are going to go into the tiny play room. You'll like it, it's green carpet and white walls. It's very soft on the floor, not like at home, and we have extra crash pads as well," she smiled. "I'm going to be in the room with you for a little while and then I have to go see my client. When you are done with Mr. Joe, Nanny Susan is going to come pick you up and take you to the big nursery room so you can rest or play or both, until Mommy finishes, okay?" she asked her.<p>

"Mommy, I s'ared," she said honestly.

"I know baby, which is why we're here early. I never want to leave you in a situation that scares you, so we came early, to get everything set up early, alright?" she asked. Marley agreed, but Santana knew she was still scared. "I'm not leaving you immediately baby. I would never do that to you. If I have to leave you in an unfamiliar place, I will always makes sure you are aware of your surroundings, and the people who will be with you," Santana promised her and she cuddled her close while they rode the elevator up to the correct floor.

The doors opened and Santana carefully lead Marley off the elevator and through the hall to a large glass door, that had a painting of several green vines and leaves, entangled through the words Eve's Garden stenciled in gold. "Pity Mommy," Marley said softly touching the letters on the door, seeming to be fixated on them.

"You like them?" Santana asked her and Marley nodded. Santana let her be for a few moments, and then ushered her inside and Marley immediately clammed up and hung on tightly to Santana. Nicole was the first person they saw and next to her was Miss Beth, going over the afternoon's schedule.

"Santana my love!" Beth smiled. "It's wonderful to see you."

"Hello Miss Beth," Santana smiled. "Can you say hello to Miss Beth and Miss Nicole sweetheart?" she encouraged Marley gently. Marley gave a cautious wave and turned to Santana, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and afraid. "You're okay baby," Santana assured her and Nicole sat watching, impressed. Little ones came through the door all the time, but none of them ever looked as fearful as Marley did now. Marley looked at Santana and her eyes held nothing but panic in them. "Shhh, you're okay, I'm right here and we're just going to go into the room you're going to have therapy in, and I'm going to show you where the room I'm going to be in is," Santana assured her.

"Mommy," she pleaded in a voice that was just above a whisper.

"I'm right here baby, you're okay. Come on, we'll go into the room together okay?" she asked her gently and Nicole calmly got up and excused herself. She went down to the nursery and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Susan called out.

"Miss Rivers is here Nanny," she said kindly while Susan worked with some little one who was currently over her lap, getting spanked, for being so fresh moments before.

"Oh yes, in the fridge please. It's all labeled. Four containers worth of juice and water," she said simply and went back to punishing the little boy over her lap, scolding him for making such a mess on the wall with his crayons. "We do not color on the walls!" Susan lectured as Nicole grabbed the four plastic water bottles out of the fridge, that were labeled for Santana and Marley. Then she brought the bottles to the small play room just to the left of her desk.

She tapped on the door frame as Santana had just got Marley into the room. "These are from Nanny Susan, she wanted me to bring them to you."

"Thanks Nicole," Santana smiled. "You can just set them on the counter please," she said and Marley hung on tighter to her, starting to shake.

Once Nicole left, Marley started to cry harder. "No, Mommy, pee, no do now, no, pee Mommy, home," Marley begged, her body going rigid and fear took over every nerve ending.

"Shhh," Santana soothed and she reached into her backpack and pulled out a pacifier and put in Marley's hand. "Shhh, I'm right here baby, I'm not leaving you right away, I'm even going to be with you for the first bit of therapy," she told her.

"No, I can't, I can't, no Mommy, pee, home, you day, we go, pee Mommy," she cried and the tears came faster and harder and Santana's heart practically broke. She also started to get concerned that Marley was going to pass out again.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh, you're okay, it's okay baby," she assured her and she pulled her as tight as she could. She managed to lift her up slightly and wasn't at all surprised when Marley tried to wrap her legs around Santana's hips. "Shhh, I'm right here baby, you're okay," Santana soothed. Santana took them over to the counter, picked up a bottle of water, and then sunk down to the floor, holding Marley in her lap. "Shhh, you're okay my love, Mommy's here, I'm not leaving you for long and I'm not leaving you just yet," Santana said.

She was just getting Marley to calm down when Beth tapped on the door frame. "Santana, Joe is here darling," she said.

"Oh, thank you, have him come in," she said and Marley cried out in fear.

"Oh sweetheart, what's wrong?" Beth asked with genuine concern and Marley wet herself.

"She's just scared. Therapy is going really well and my beautiful Marley is at a point where it's time to progress," Santana explained and Marley put a white knuckle grip on her pacifier.

"Well Miss Marley, I've heard nothing but amazing things about you. I hear how smart you are, how talented you are, and I hear that you are making fabulous progress, but for now I will leave you with your Mommy and Mr. Joe, and if you need anything at all, you don't hesitate to ask. You can ask me, or Nanny Susan, or Miss Nicole up front while Mommy is working okay?" she told her kindly and she left. As soon as she was gone, Marley shoved her pacifier into her mouth and turned inward so her face was pressed to Santana's collar bone. She was developing a headache at this point and she just wanted to be in her own house and be done with everything.

"Muma, pee Muma," she begged around her pacifier.

"Shhh, I'm right here sweetheart, and nothing bad is going to happen, and I'm not leaving just yet. Mommy's right here, I promise you baby," she assured her. Joe walked in and smiled at the girls, before setting up the 'crash mats' that had been put in the corner of the room. The room itself was pretty tiny, but exactly as Santana had described it. Green carpet, white walls, and one small bank of cabinets along a shorter wall that contained a grey granite counter top, a stainless steal sink, and brown cabinets that were mostly empty. The far left one was the one that contained extra supplies, such as vibrators, lubricants, and condoms. Santana kept that information from Marley, because first it wasn't important and secondly, there would be no reason for her or Joe to go into the cabinets at all.

Joe knelt down in front of Santana and spoke kindly. "Marley honey. It's just Mr. Joe sweetheart, and I know you're scared, but your Mommy is right here and I promise you that what we're doing, while scary, is not dangerous for you. We're just going to help strengthen your core by standing," Joe explained.

Marley simply cried and hung on tightly to Santana. "I'm right here baby, let's start therapy together. Mr. Joe came all the way out here to be with us, so we shouldn't keep him waiting," she told her gently. She stood up and had Marley stand with her. "What do we have to do?" she asked moving them to stand on the crash pads.

"I just want her to stand."

"How?" Santana asked.

"On her own two feet," he said.

"She's doing that now," Santana said with confusion.

"Well yes, but she's leaning on you to do it. I'm working on getting her to stand without leaning on anyone. It's a core strengthening exercise," he explained.

"No Mommy, no, faww down" she cried, still keeping the pacifier in her mouth. She wasn't calm, she knew it, and she wasn't going to be calm anytime soon so the pacifier was staying in her mouth.

"Look at me little girl and listen very carefully. Do you think I would ever let you fall down?" she asked. Marley didn't look, she stayed cuddling into her Mommy, but shook her head no. Somewhere deep down, she knew that Santana would never let anything bad happen to her, but she was still pretty scared. "No you don't want to look at me, or no, I wouldn't let you fall down on purpose?" she asked her gently. Marley hiccuped and simply cuddled into Santana. "We have to try baby girl," Santana encouraged her.

Joe nodded and smiled. "Shall I explain how I want to do this?" he asked kindly and Santana nodded. "Okay, so Marley 'walks' with you all at home, which is great, because that helps with her hip flexors which is good for walking. So what I eventually want to happen is for Marley to just stand there. Right now Marley leans and that's okay, but we have to pull back on the leaning a bit. Slowly, little by little," Joe explained. In normal circumstances Joe would have his patients hold on to parallel bars and use their arms to support their own weight, but with Marley, he couldn't do that.

Santana looked at Joe and nodded, before tucking her chin a little bit. "I'm not letting go baby girl. I'm not letting go at all, but we have to get you a little more on your own. You did so well this morning, you are getting very close and I am so proud of you, and we will go over your reward later at home, but we have to try now," Santana said.

Marley worked on calming down and Santana grabbed a few tissues to help her clean her face a bit. "You got this Marley, I know you do, but before we do, what does Mommy mean that you got stuck?" he asked.

"I c'aled to da kissen fer watah an' c'imbed up a seat, but den I hadda dop," she said. Her voice was soft and her speech was little girl, but it was the most Joe had ever heard her explain to him. Santana was practically beaming.

"I am so proud of you Marley," Santana told her kissing her cheek and letting her have some time to continue to compose herself.

"Okay, so you got stuck pulling yourself up to your feet yes?" Joe asked and she nodded. "Okay, so then we need to do this even more, so that you will be able to pull yourself up to standing. Now, I want you to watch this video," he said and tapped a few keys on her his phone. Marley watched the little baby on the screen and quickly shook her head.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Santana asked.

"I nineteen, I did walk, I not tiny no more," she said.

"That is true my love, you are nineteen and you used to walk, but your muscles have been reset back to the very beginning because of how cruel Terri was to you. Terri reset your muscles, so we have help them along and you should never ever ever go from nothing to everything. It's not safe," Santana assured her.

Marley went back to the video on Joe's phone and watched the baby bob up and down slightly and fall down on his butt. "No, owie!" she protested pointing down to the baby.

"First of all. Do you really think I would be that far away from you?" Joe asked her seriously. "Secondly, we don't ever jump into anything, we work you up to it. For this, I just want to get you to the point where you can stand up on your own, with no one supporting you for three seconds," Joe said.

"Fwree?" she asked in confusion.

"Yes, three seconds. All I need you to do is trust me and your Mommy to hold you up. We will support you, but you can't hang on to us. Mommy is going to put her hands on you. One on your belly and one on your back. I will do the same. You are going to very carefully keep your feet on the floor hip distance apart. Can you set your feet to that position for me now please?" he asked her.

Marley nodded and shifted a bit. She leaned all of the right side of her body into Santana and laughed softly when her left foot sort of hung in the air while she tried to set it down. "That's how dogs pee," Santana whispered in her ear, making her giggle a little bit louder. "I'm going to help shift you sweetheart, are you ready?" Santana asked.

"No, Papa he'p," Marley said and Santana was glad to hear Marley calling for Kurt.

"Papa isn't here sweetheart. I'm just going to lean a bit and Mr. Joe is right there to make sure we don't topple over," Santana assured her. "Look baby, look how far away he is, he's practically on top of us. You don't have far to go," Santana said.

"How about this Marley. You do really well when you have something to focus on, so I'm going to ask you to look down at your foot. I want you to try and put it down right next to me, can you do that?" he asked her. She nodded and took a deep breath and then on the exhale, she lowered her leg down slowly as she pushed away from Santana. Her foot was set in place, but on the outer edge instead of the sole of her foot and she wobbled a bit. "That was fabulous Marley! I'm very proud of you, and now that that's finished, you get to lay on your back and we start a new exercise," he smiled.

"Buh I didn' do i'," she said.

"You did very well for your first try. I'm very proud of you. I know it was scary for you to even attempt that," he told her.

"Why dop?" she asked him going back to leaning on Santana, because it was more comfortable.

"Because, when you put your foot down, it wasn't the sole of your foot, it was the outer edge, so we have to train your foot to fall flat, and the way to do that is on your back. We're going to lay down and march at the same time," he said.

"You make it sound very complicated," Santana said.

"You say that about all of my exercises, instead of just trusting me. On your back please Marley," he told her and she nodded, pushing lightly on Santana's shoulder so she could be lowered to the floor.

They got down to the floor and Marley was flat on her back, her knees bent up to the ceiling, her low back just off the floor and Joe smiled. When most people laid down on their backs one of two things happened, their back touched the floor with no gap at all, which was not 'normal' posture, or there was a small curve just under them, enough to push a very small ball under neath them. When Marley was with Terri, Terri had her knees up to her shoulders most of the time, lengthening the erectors at the base of her spine, giving her a flat back. It also shortened her hip flexors which meant her legs would splay out to the side. Now that she'd been having therapy so often, the natural curve had come back. He was proud of her, but also of himself, glad to see the improvement she was making. He'd made her stronger over the last few months and while the curve was back, her knees were still falling to the side. They didn't splay out as far any more, but he had to get them a little stronger so that her feet would fall flat to the floor.

"Okay Marley, I'm going to stand over near your face so that you can watch my feet okay?" he asked her.

"Mommy," she called out.

"I'm still here baby, I'll sit on one side while Mr. Joe shows you what you're supposed to do," Santana assured her, moving into position.

"It's very easy Marley. I just want you to lift one leg and put you foot down on the floor, then we switch," he said and he stood next to her face showing her what he wanted to do. She tried it once or twice and Joe smiled.

"How many?" Santana asked.

"Thirty times each leg, two sets. March them one, one, two, two, etcetera. At the first set of thirty, you stop and take a rest. Then the second set, then we'll try to get you to stand up between Mommy and myself," he explained and with a heavy sigh, Marley set about her marching. "Wait, wait, wait, when do I ever let you start an exercise unassisted," he smiled at her. He moved to her feet. "My hands on your knees to keep your legs from falling outward," he explained. She nodded and took Santana's hand.

"Mommy, I good?" she asked.

"You my darling girl are the best," Santana said and she kissed her forehead.

* * *

><p>Therapy went slow, as it normally did, and Marley was panting after her last set of marching. Beth went to the room and knocked on the door. "Santana my love, fifteen minutes," she said simply.<p>

Santana nodded and turned to Marley. "Okay baby girl, take your rest and we'll talk, come on," Santana said pulling her up into her lap and cuddling her. "So, what's the thing that happens next do you remember?"

"Ana go way," she said sadly and Santana nodded, but again the warning bells were going off. Marley was in little girl world, but clearly not trusting that Santana was her Mommy. It was only very clear when Marley called them by their first names.

"Yes, Santana is going out of the room, but where exactly is she going? Do you remember that?" Santana asked.

"Down a hall," she said softly.

"Very good, do you remember how many doors?"

"Two."

"That is fabulous my baby and do you remember how long I'll be in my room for?"

"One hour," Marley whimpered.

"Yes baby girl, only one hour, and do you remember who you're going to be with after therapy?"

"Mommy pee," Marley pleaded changing back immediately. Being a big girl, even just a little bit, was too much. She didn't want to be a big girl any longer. She just wanted her Mommy to be with her and make her world okay again.

"It's alright sweetheart, you're okay and I'm still going to be in the building, just a little bit busy, like when we're at home and you play in the living room with Mama or Papa, and Mommy's in the kitchen. It's the same type deal sweetheart, I promise you. And you know Nanny Susan, and Miss Beth will be around as well, if you want her to help," Santana explained.

"Mommy day," Marley cried and the tears came fast. Santana shook her head no about to speak, but Marley interrupted her. "Ca'h Papa. Papa come," she pleaded.

"Shhh, Mommy isn't leaving you forever baby, just a little while, you're going to finish therapy and then go be with Nanny Susan, you're going to be fine my love and as soon as I finish, I'm going to come pick you up in Nanny's room and then we'll go home," she said.

"But Mommy," Marley begged and Santana waited for her to continue, but she didn't know what to say so she just cried.

Santana took a heavy sigh and cuddled her close. "Marley my girl. I love you very much. I don't know how to properly explain to you that I can't live without you. You are my little girl, whether you are nineteen months or nineteen years old, or anywhere in between, okay? I'm not leaving you forever, and I am most certainly coming back for you," Santana assured her. "And you my love, you're going to finish therapy and then go sit with Nanny Susan and I will meet you there as soon as I finish," she said.

Marley nodded and curled into Santana, needing her to hold her until she left. "We're going to cuddle until I leave then yes?" she asked and Marley nodded. "I think that's an easy request. Mr. Joe can take a rest for a moment too okay?" she asked gently. "If you go out to the desk, Nicole can tell you where the bathrooms are," she told him and Joe took the hint. "Do I need to change you before I leave sweetheart?" she asked her and Marley nodded. Santana kissed her cheek gently and made quick work of changing her little girl and then cuddled her some more.

Beth showed up at the door a little while later and smiled. "Santana five minutes," Beth said and Santana nodded.

"Marley, can I introduce you to Miss Beth a little more properly? I want you to know her a little bit better in case you need her help," she said and Marley nodded timidly, her whole body going rigid. "Shhh, it's okay sweetheart, that's why I want you to meet her, so you aren't afraid and Mommy would never, ever, ever leave you with someone you don't know. You know Mr. Joe, and you know Nanny Susan, so if I introduce you to Miss Beth, you'll know everyone who is capable of helping you," Santana told her.

Beth moved into the room and left a good distance between herself and Marley who was still cuddled with Santana. "Hi Marley, it's nice to properly meet you. Mommy tells me how wonderful you are, and what a good girl you are," Beth praised.

"Miss Beth is Mommy's boss, and she knows Dr. Martinez, that is her friend. Miss Beth, is the one who helped us to meet," Santana explained.

"Yes, I did, We have a Miss Shannon here and she knows your Mommy too, so when I was told about you, I talked to my friend Miss Shannon and she thought that Santana would be a perfect Mommy for you, and I think she was right," she said and Marley nodded, pulling Santana's arms tighter around her body.

"Okay baby girl. Mr. Joe is back and Mommy has to go to work. Do you want Miss Beth to stay with you, or do you think just you and Mr. Joe will do," Santana asked.

"Mommy day," she cried around her pacifier.

"I can't sweetheart, but you won't be here long and I will be down the hall. How about Miss Beth stays with you," she said. "Miss Beth is a wonderful lady and she will make sure you are very safe," Santana said and with one long tight hug and a kiss, Santana disentangled herself from Marley and left the room.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you're all doing well. This chapter doesn't have any real warnings. I hope you're not all getting bored with this story. Please know that I had a small struggle with trying to figure out what direction to put the story in, but it's all been figured out and by the time Sunday rolls around, you'll all be up to speed with me.**

**I'm wishing you all well and hoping for more reviews.**

**Be well my friends.**

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><p>Marley burst into tears and Joe got in front of her. "You know what Marley, if we work on your exercises, by the time you see Mommy again, you'll be able to surprise her and make her smile so much, that would be nice wouldn't it?" Joe tried.<p>

"Pee, I wan' Mommy," she cried, her pacifier falling out of her mouth and she just sat there feeling lost and alone.

"I know you do sweetheart, come on, let's work, and I promise the faster we work, the faster you see Mommy," Joe told her.

"Marley baby? Do you want a hug?" Beth asked her gently and Marley gave up. She hung her head and said nothing and Joe went to touch her but Beth held up her hand, stopping him. "Marley my love, listen to me sweetheart. We don't do anything in this building without permission. Now you look like you could use a hug, and I will give you one, but I won't do it without your permission. So I'm going to ask you again sweetheart, do you want a hug?" Beth asked her and Marley nodded simply. Beth stood up, moved over to Marley and pulled her into a hug. Marley didn't care any more. Anything could happen to her, because Santana had left her, and was never coming back, she was convinced of it. She couldn't stand on her own, she couldn't truly take care of herself on her own, and Santana was sick of her. She left her where all the other freaks came, she was sure of it. "You're okay Marley, as soon as you finish therapy, we'll go see Nanny Susan in her room, and she has a nice soft bed you can lie on, or some snacks you can have, or a movie you can watch, or maybe you can just cuddle in the rocking chair until Mommy comes back," Beth explained, but Marley wasn't listening. All she was focused on was that she'd been left alone.

"Breathe honey," Joe said kindly and he started doing breathing exercises with her, so she didn't hyperventilate and pass out. Beth had her tight and was swaying gently with her. Since she was standing Joe decided to use it to his advantage. "Marley honey, look here honey. One hand on your belly and one hand on your back. I'm not letting go Marley. I'm going to hold you up, but you're not going to lean on me, and if Miss Beth agrees, and you agree, she can help," Joe said.

"Would that be okay Marley? Do you want Miss Beth to help out a bit? I'll make sure that Mr. Joe keeps his word and you don't fall down, because I think if you fell down under my watch, your Mommy would have a fit," Beth explained.

"Mommy," Marley pleaded.

"Yes baby, I know you miss Mommy, but you will be seeing her very soon. Here, let's look at the clock, do you see where the little hand is? As soon as the little hand moves from the three to the four, then Mommy will be done and as soon as she cleans up, she'll be in to see you," Beth assured her and without even realizing it, Marley was standing on her own two feet, while Joe and Beth held her in place and she was only wobbling slightly.

"Marley look honey, look at me. You're standing on your own," Joe praised her and she looked down to see two hands on her stomach, her feet under her and her knees locked out. She wobbled forward and very quickly was brought back to a more upright position and she looked at Joe with confusion. "It's okay honey, you did good. I'm very proud of you," Joe told her and she nodded.

"Misser Joe," she stammered softly. "Nye nye, done, pee, no mo'e," she begged.

"Alright, lean on me for a rest and then I'm going to have you stand one more time, just like you just did. Miss Beth and I will help you and then I promise you can be done. Marley nodded and did the last stand. They didn't let go of her and it was how Susan found them all moments later.

"Well well, look at you," Susan praised from the doorway.

"Nanny," Marley whimpered.

"I hope those are tears of joy," Susan smiled walking in closer to the three of them.

"Well maybe, but what we know for sure is that this little girl misses her Mommy," Beth said.

"Awww, honey, I'm so sorry," Susan said kindly. "Do you want a hug?" she offered and Marley didn't respond. "How about we go into Nanny's room and we cuddle in the nice big rocking chair. Or maybe you can curl up in it and rock yourself, if you don't want cuddles from Nanny," she suggested.

"Nanny," she said sadly. "Mommy pee," she begged.

"As soon as Mommy is done baby, she will come back to Nanny's room and pick you up, I promise. Come on sweetheart, why don't we try going back to my room to rest, as long as therapy is over at least," she said looking at Joe who nodded. He and Beth still had their arms on her.

"You are most certainly finished Marley and you did fabulous job. Do you want to walk the way you do with your family, or should I carry you?" he asked as Susan stepped into the room and gathered the backpack Santana left and the two untouched water bottles. Marley wrapped her arms around Joe as her response and he simply lifted her into his arms and carried her bridal style to Susan's room and he steeled himself for anything and everything. He didn't know what to expect.

Susan entered before him and turned to her right. She put the two untouched bottles in the small fridge and Joe looked around the rest of the room. Next to the fridge was a large counter top that ran the length of the room. There were cabinets above and sliding carts below. The oversized crib was at the end of the counter top section. He shifted Marley carefully and she instinctively put her legs around his hips while he held her. He debated about the crib, but wasn't sure. Continuing to look around the room he saw an oversized changing table, high chair, and rocking horse. He then saw the glider and spoke kindly to Marley. "Where do you want to sit Marley?" he asked her gently.

"Mommy," she answered.

"I know you want her sweetheart, but that's not a choice at the moment, so I'm just going to set you on the floor okay?" he asked her and he put her down and she rolled on to her side, curling up into the fetal position. He let her be, knowing she was just sad, and probably over exhausted from therapy. It usually took a great deal out of her, and all she ever wanted after therapy was some part or all of her family. "I'll see you in two days for your next session Marley and you did a great job today," he praised her and then he left.

Susan watched Marley carefully and turned to Beth. "Any suggestions?" she asked her.

"You know Marley better than I do. I leave her in your very capable hands," she said and gave her a quick kiss to her cheek, a playful pinch to her ass and went down the hall to her office, making Susan chuckle softly.

Beth left and Susan walked into the room, closing the door behind her. "Marley honey, do you want anything special before Mommy shows up?" she asked her kindly seeing her shiver on the floor. "Maybe a blanket?" she asked.

"Nanny," Marley said softly.

"Yes my love?"

"Mommy," she told her.

"I know honey, I do. Nanny has a few options for you sweetheart. I can get you a blanket, or I can help you move to the bed by the window, or we can cuddle together in the rocker, or you can lie there by yourself. Whatever you decide sweetheart," she told her.

"Nanny," Marley cried, reaching for her.

Susan moved closer and spoke kindly. "I think you need a lot of cuddles baby girl, can Nanny cuddle you?" she asked her. "Maybe you and Nanny can sit in the rocker and Nanny can read you a story. Do Mommy or Mama or Papa read you stories?" she asked her.

"Yes," she said softly.

"Do you think you'd like to read a story with Nanny maybe? We can sit in the rocker together and cuddle and read a nice story together. You can choose whatever story you want, all the books are right near the rocking chair," Susan said.

Marley pushed away her tears and carefully crawled over to the book case. She sat down and looked at the books laid out before her, carefully going to select _The Hungry Caterpillar_, but she pulled her hand back as if she were about to be burned. "It's alright my sweet girl, you can choose any book you want," Susan assured her.

"Ziss one pee Nanny," she said finally.

"I think you are the most polite little girl I've ever met," Susan praised. "Let Nanny help you up into the chair okay?" she asked her. Marley gave a confused look and decided that since the chair moved, she wasn't going to be able to do it on her own. "I will help you stand sweetheart and then we can sit down together," she said. It took some doing, but eventually Marley was seated next to Susan who began to read the story. "Once upon a time, there was a very hungry caterpillar," she started and by the second page, poor Marley was fighting sleep. She kept leaning into Susan, because she couldn't keep herself upright any longer. Susan adjusted herself so that her arm was wrapped around Marley and then continued reading. By the fourth page, Marley was fighting sleep and falling into Susan. Susan shifted one more time and now Marley was curled up on the seat in a fetal position with her head in Susan's lap, while Susan rocked them and finished the story. Once it was done, she decided to go back and read it again. Before she did though, she leaned to her right and managed to pull out a blanket from the nearby storage unit and draped it over Marley's slight frame. She propped her feet up on the matching ottoman and rocked gently, petting Marley's hair softly.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered her eyes closed tight, the tears still falling, and her body feeling heavier and heavier. She wanted Santana to come back to her and she was so afraid that she wouldn't show up.

"Very soon my love, I promise. Mommy's session should be done soon and then she has to clean up and then she'll come pick you up," Susan said.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered again.

"Shhh, soon my baby girl, very soon," Susan assured her. There was a knock at the door and Susan smiled. "Come in!" she called and was surprised to find Kurt walking in, rather than Santana. "Look baby girl, who is that?" she asked kindly and Marley's eyes flew open.

"Papa!" she cried and she practically fell off of Susan's lap to the floor and crawled as best she could to Kurt.

He moved in closer and sat down pulling her into his lap. She immediately wrapped herself around him, put her head on his shoulder and cried. "Hey baby girl," he said gently, keeping her close and rubbing her back, wanting her to calm down. She was getting sick lately from crying so much. "Hi Nanny Susan, I'm Kurt," he said kindly introducing himself.

"It's nice to meet you dear. I am surprised to see you though," she said kindly.

"Well I," he started to explain and Marley pushed back and looked at him, tears flowing down her face.

"Papa no, no pee, Mommy. Mommy come. I good. Pee Mommy come," she pleaded.

"Shhh," he said kindly. "Mommy's coming baby. She just has to finish cleaning up. I texted her to tell her I was coming. I love you just as much as Mommy and Mama do, you know that, let me finish talking to Nanny though," he said.

"No, pee Papa. Need Mommy," she pleaded falling into hysterics and he pulled her close and rubbed her back.

"Shhh," he said softly cradling her against his body and pressing his finger to her lips. She was so distressed, he knew if she didn't calm down she'd puke. "Shhh, Mommy's coming baby, she has to finish cleaning up, that's all. It's the same thing we've been telling you today and all day yesterday. Come on sweetheart, let's just rest," he told her kindly giving her little kisses to her temple. She cried harder, put her head on his shoulder and waited for something to happen.

"I knew today was going to be a hard day for Marley, so I decided to come help out if I could once I got out of work and I managed to get off early," he smiled and he felt Marley go heavy in his arms and then she whined. She was fighting sleep and getting her home was going to be interesting.

Santana walked in minutes later and kept very quiet. She saw Marley was nearly asleep and she didn't want to interrupt her, so she decided to creep up close and kneel in front of Kurt. She put her finger to her lips and leaned in very close to him. "She needs to sleep. Help me get her to the crib," she said and Kurt's eyebrows shot up into his forehead and she smiled. "I'm going to lie down with her. I've checked with Miss Beth and the schedule is open. The only reason Miss Susan is still here today is for Marley anyway. She doesn't need a babysitter any more, because Mommy showed up," Santana smiled. "Come on, I'll help you move her," Santana said.

They carefully got Marley over to the crib and Santana sat down. Marley was passed out against Kurt so he sat down as well. They carefully shifted her between them and then he and Santana helped Marley to lie down. Santana laid down next to her and pulled her close, cuddling her tight and petting her in all the right places to keep her calm and asleep. "Go home, we'll be there after she wakes up from her nap," Santana said and Kurt couldn't help but brush her hair out of her face.

"What do you want for dinner?" he asked.

"She needs extra protein, but no chicken, she's been giving me trouble about eating it," Santana said.

"I'll figure out something," he smiled and then left them alone after saying goodbye to Susan.

* * *

><p>Susan walked over to the crib and sat on the edge, near Santana's hip. "How much trouble are you having with her?" she asked.<p>

"Trouble?" Santana asked trying to sound innocent.

"Don't give me that look little girl," Susan said seriously. "I just heard you tell Kurt she is giving you trouble about eating chicken, so it stands to reason it's not the only thing she's giving you trouble about," she said.

"Everything and nothing," Santana sighed.

"Clarify that please," Susan said.

"Two days ago, I needed her to eat protein. She had a good therapy session and we know that when she puts out that much effort, her body spasms. She knows that too, so I wanted to give her some lean chicken, to help her, and she had a tantrum. She didn't want to eat it, then she wanted me to feed her, and then she didn't want me to and then she wouldn't feed herself, and then she stubbornly pushed her plate away. Except she pushed too far and it fell and she started screaming in fear, fell down to the floor and tried to clean it up, but she moved too fast, so she did have the spasm that we were trying to prevent in the first place," Santana explained.

"Have you scheduled a session for yourself to take a break?" she asked.

"No. I can get time whenever I want, but Rachel and Kurt need to get away too. Rachel was shaking yesterday, shaking. I don't know that I've ever seen her shake like that. Well once, but it was out of anger, not fear," she assured her.

"Santana, listen to me very carefully little girl. You are the Mommy. You are the one in charge. Which means you need time for you. One full session, recovery time included, for you, just you. No talk about Marley, or your room mates, simply time for you."

"And how often do you take sessions for yourself?" Santana challenged.

"That earns you spankings, you know that," Susan said. "You're protected now because she's here and sleeping, but don't think I will let that slide," Susan said seriously. "For now, the two of you rest. Don't think my love. Just rest," she told her and gave them both a kiss to their foreheads and left them alone.

Santana watched her leave and let out a soft sigh. Marley wiggled in her sleep, to a more comfortable position and then let out a soft sigh, curling into Santana. "I made you a promise a long time ago little girl. I promised I would respect you and your quirks, and take care of you, but now we've moved into this new dynamic, and somehow, someway, I have to get you to understand that so that I can keep my promise, and you can be a happy girl, because I think you are losing that happy, and if you are, that means I broke my promise," Santana said. Marley was sleeping, but stayed cuddled against Santana, seemingly drawing on her for peace and comfort and Santana could feel it. "I love you little girl," Santana told her. She wiggled the two of them into a more comfortable position and decided to take Susan's advice. She closed her eyes and took a nap herself.

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><p>Marley woke up two hours later and blinked a bit and then realized it was Santana holding her. "Hey baby girl," Santana smiled when she saw she was awake.<p>

Marley felt joy and relief wash over her. "Mommy!" she said softly, happy tears springing to her eyes.

"Well hello my baby girl," Santana said and she gave her a kiss. "Do you know where we are?" she asked. Marley took a deep breath and pushed herself up a little bit and looked around the room, before she laid her head on Santana's shoulder.

"Nanny's room," she said.

"Very good my love," Santana said kissing the top of her head. "Look at the clock. Do you know how long you've been sleeping?" she asked rubbing her back and keeping her in a tight cuddle, knowing she needed the reassurance.

Marley looked to the door and tried to figure it out, but she didn't know when she feel asleep. "Um, one hour?' she guessed.

"Close, very close. Two hours actually," Santana smiled. "Do you want to tell Mommy about therapy? What did you do today?" she asked her. Santana loved when Marley first woke up, because she was normally willing to talk and engage, much more than she was during any other time of the day. Her body and mind were in a relaxed state and by this point of the game, she knew she was with safe people, and it made her much more agreeable with most things.

"Mommy?" she asked not ready to share yet. Something was odd. "I bad?" she asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, do you think you were bad?" Santana countered kindly.

"C'ib, bad babies in c'ib," she explained.

"Well if that's the case then Mommy was bad too, because Mommy has been laying in the crib with you while you napped. The other thing is that this is not technically a crib, because a crib has four sides, and this only has three sides of bars," Santana explained pointing out the difference.

"You ho'ded me?" Marley asked her. She wasn't willing to use all her letters right now. The past two times she'd been in the nursery, it brought back that very strong, unexplainable desire she had. The desire to be someone's little girl, to be safe and loved, and cared for, and not have to be an adult for a little while. She was with Santana and she knew she was safe.

"Held my love, and yes I did sweetheart. I missed you while I was gone, so I wanted to hold my baby girl, even in her sleep, so she knew that her Mommy was with her, to hold her and protect her, and make her feel safe," Santana explained.

"Fank you Mommy," Marley smiled and cuddled into her a little more, resting her head just on the swell of Santana's breast, taking in the sound of her steady heart beat.

"Any time my lovely. Now, will you tell Mommy about how therapy went today once, I left?" Santana asked her.

"Misser Joe had me on my feet an' ho'ded me here," she said pressing on her belly, "an here," she said moving her hand carefully to her back. "I standed," she started.

"Stood baby girl," Santana corrected kindly.

"S'ood up two times," she said.

"That's great baby girl, it sounds like you worked very hard, I'm very proud of you. We still have to work on your reward from earlier, so now you get two," Santana said giving Marley a few kisses.

"We go home Mommy?" Marley asked.

"Unless you want to spend the night in the nursery, yes, we're going to go home. Papa is making us dinner," she said.

"Wuz it?" Marley yawned.

"I don't know sweetheart, when we get home we'll find out. However, I don't want a lot of fuss about dinner, okay?" she asked her gently, purposefully working to keep her voice calm and kind. She'd had a rather intense session with someone who liked being yelled at, wanted it, and she didn't want it to carry over into dealing with Marley. "You've worked very hard today and so we need to replenish everything so that you don't have spasms tonight while we sleep, understood?" Santana asked gently, smiling at her little girl. Marley nodded simply and stayed cuddled into Santana. Santana felt her heart melt.

She loved Marley more than she would ever care to admit, and while she never saw herself as a Mommy, Marley made it easy. "Mommy?" Marley asked rubbing at her face for a moment.

"Yes baby?"

"I bad?" she asked.

"No my baby girl, you are not bad. You are a very good girl, who sometimes does naughty things, but when you do, Mommy corrects you, and then we move on and hopefully you learn from it," Santana explained. "Come on, we've laid here long enough. What do you say we go home?"

"Ess," Marley said simply.

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><p>They made it home half an hour later and Marley was completely drained. She was hanging on to Santana as tightly as she could, whimpering with every little step. She wasn't really tired, but she was very sore, and the muscle cramps and spasms were starting to catch up to her. "There you are," Kurt smiled. "Did you have a good nap baby?" he asked her, moving to give her a hug. She fell into the embrace and then started crying. "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.<p>

"Therapy is catching up with her," Santana said putting the backpack down at the corner near the door while Kurt held Marley.

"Awww, I'm sorry baby," Kurt told her kindly. "Here, try this, it will help, and then as soon as dinner is over, bath, and cuddle time," he said handing her a spoonful of stew. He'd made a beef vegetable stew for them and Santana was glad that Marley was at least trying some of it.

"Where's Rachel?" she asked.

"She's running late, we are to start without her. She said she sent you a text," Kurt said and Santana pulled out her phone. Sure enough, there was a message from Rachel, but it had been set to silent, so she never heard it go off. Her message was basically what Kurt had said, but there was an added message on her end. "I love you," it read and Santana rolled her eyes. "Marley, not you, :P" it said and Santana laughed and put her phone away.

"Alright baby girl, would you like a bath first or dinner?" Santana asked.

"Sour pee," Marley said tiredly leaning into Kurt, keeping herself upright, but her eyes were drooping and she was desperately fighting sleep. It worried Santana a little because, she'd had a two hour nap, she should have been alright for the next hour or so.

"Are you sure honey?" Santana asked. Marley had never asked for a shower before. Marley immediately froze. This was going to be it. She voiced her true opinion, she didn't ask, she just said what she wanted. She was polite, but she'd crossed a line. She was sure of it, and now she was going to be beaten, disowned, mistreated, something. She was sure of it, and Kurt looked at Santana with concern in his eyes.

"Petrified," he said softly to Santana feeling everything in Marley's body go tense.

"Marley baby, you can take a shower, that's okay, I just want you to be sure that's what you want," Santana explained, but Marley was convinced she'd blown it now and she just cried, heavily against Kurt. "Okay my love, come on, let's go get showered and changed, you're okay," Santana assured her moving in close. Marley was now sandwiched between her Mommy and her Papa and she was as stiff as a board. "Okay big girl, come on," Santana said kindly and she had to pry Marley off of Kurt to take her into her arms and then kissed her temple several times, to try and calm her, but nothing worked.

Santana got them into the bathroom and had Marley sit in the tub. She got her undressed and then somehow managed to undress herself. Marley made the task more difficult, by sitting and wailing, and begging for something that Santana just couldn't figure out. All she heard were vowels and the string of vowels being voiced, didn't make any sense. "Shhh, it's just Mommy Santana my love. Come on baby girl, you're okay," Santana said and she brought down the shower head and set the water to warm. Marley was freaking out though, her breath going a little more ragged than Santana wanted, so she began to sing. "If I die young, bury me in satin, lay me down, on a, bed of roses," she sang. She kept singing waiting for her voice to cut through the fog of Marley's brain. She sang the entire time, washing both of them carefully and then pulled Marley out of the tub, getting them each wrapped in a towel and then bringing them to the bedroom, so she could get them dressed. She got Marley into a clean diaper, at which point Marley screamed in fear, and Santana forced herself to keep going. She wasn't hurting her, but for some reason Marley was clearly terrified of Santana and all of her surroundings.

Santana got up on the bed, kneeling next to Marley, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. "Here sweetheart, have this," Santana said, putting her pacifier firmly in her hand. "It's just Mommy Santana sweetheart. I don't know why you're so upset, but you're safe at home my love, I promise you," Santana tried. "Shhh, you're at home sweetheart," she told her. Santana was still wrapped in her towel and spoke gently. "Mommy is going to get dressed and then we'll get Marley dressed," she told her. She stood up and got herself into pajamas and then returned to Marley, putting her into pajamas and Marley let the tears fall freely. "Oh my goodness, why is my baby girl freaking out?" she asked her gently, pulling her up into her arms and holding her tight. "Shhh, shhh, shhh, you're okay Marley," Santana soothed. "You're okay, come on my love," she said softly. "Shhh, you know what?" she asked softly. "I think that baby girl Marley is going to come with Mommy Santana and we're going to go sit on the couch and have dinner together," she said.

Kurt was in the kitchen, listening to Marley scream. "Santana! How many bowls do you want!" he yelled into the other room so he could be heard above the screaming.

"Just one!" she called back to him, and moments later, she carried a terribly distressed Marley out to the living room and he knew it was bad. Marley was only ever held for two reasons, she was sleeping and they had to move her somewhere, or she was freaking out so badly, asking her to move on her own was just not an option. When she wasn't focused any movement could be potentially dangerous.

"Sit, I'll be right there to help you," he told her and he set two bowls of stew and three glasses of water on a tray, along with a stack of napkins. He brought it over to the sofa and watched as Marley went completely rigid. Kurt saw her struggling to keep herself away from Santana but trying to take comfort in her as well. The pacifier was stuck in her hand and her knuckles were ghost white from holding it so tightly.

"Oh kay baby girl," Santana said gently and she pulled her as close as she could, wrapping her in a tight hug and kissing her temple repeatedly. Kurt took a seat, set the tray on the coffee table and handed Santana a glass of water.

"It's water. I'll get you the hard stuff later," he smiled at her and she nodded at him, smiling in return. "Okay Marley. You are going to sit with Mommy, and Papa is going to feed you. We have to have at least ten bites. Very small baby bites are fine, but at least ten for Papa, can you do that?" he asked her and when he stopped speaking he blew on the spoon, so it wouldn't be hot for her.

Marley continued to cry, not sure of what was going on around her. She saw Kurt in front of her and heard him talking, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Terri was over in the corner, somewhere, she heard her yelling. She was waiting for her to come around the corner and she finally could take no more.

"MOMMY!" she finally screamed, everything cutting through her strange state, to bring her back to reality.

"Shhh, I'm right here sweetheart, Mommy's right here. Mommy's holding you. You're safe sweetheart," Santana told her.

"Mommy, ow ow ow," she cried feeling nothing but all the pain her body and heart were in. Her emotions were all over the place, she was terrified and she didn't know what to do. Her legs were cramping, her lungs were burning, and her head was pounding from a headache that had been forming for the past half hour.

"I know baby, I know, it's okay. We're going to have a little bit of dinner and then lots of cuddle time. I want my baby girl to know she's safe and loved and most importantly I want her to rest."

"I think Mommy's right sweetheart, come on, one little baby bite for now and then more to follow, but for right now, just one," Kurt said kindly, bringing the spoon to her lips and she ate it without complaining, gasping as she swallowed, her lungs still on fire.

"This is water baby, have a little sip for me," Santana said helping her and guiding the glass to her lips. Marley however wanted to sleep. Her entire body hurt and now the light in the room was too much for her. Her eyes were burning from the brightness, so she closed them, but continued to struggle wanting them to stay open, so she didn't get yelled at.

"You're alright baby, lay back against Mommy," Kurt said kindly putting the bowl down and he helped adjust her into a comfortable position. He carefully picked the bowl back up and moved in close. "I'll feed you sweetheart, just rest, you're okay," Kurt said and Santana reached over to the tray to grab a paper towel and very gently worked it onto Marley's chest, so in case she spilled, it wouldn't stain her clothes, or make contact with her skin. Whenever Marley got food on her face, or body, she went insane, every bad memory with Terri coming back to her in full force.

"My sweet girl," Santana soothed gently. "Come on my love, let's have four more bites and then you can just lay here with Mommy and Papa and cuddle," Santana said.

"Mama?" she asked tiredly, hiccuping and stuttering as she tried to speak.

"Mama's coming home late baby, she'll come in and say hello to you as soon as she gets in," Kurt said kindly.

* * *

><p>Rachel walked into the house to find Marley cuddled into Kurt both of them sleeping on the couch and Santana was no where around. She stood behind the couch, watching them sleep, and her heart melted when Marley rolled inward and Kurt shifted a bit, drawing her closer, in a more protective hold.<p>

"Stop staring," Santana hissed from the bathroom doorway. "It took us three hours to get that to happen," Santana said walking over.

Rachel moved closer and wrapped Santana in a tight hug. "How many times did she throw up?" she asked knowing that if it took three hours for them to get her to go to sleep, it wasn't a pleasant three hours. When Marley was tired and calm, she went to sleep very quickly and stayed that way for quite a few hours. If it took any longer than twenty minutes, it meant, Marley was having a bad night.

"Just once," Santana said and she returned the hug.

"You freaking out?" Rachel asked her.

"A little, I just. I know that there is more. I know there is more work that needs to be done, that she's not fully healed, and that I can't help her in the way that she really needs it," Santana said.

"You don't like pep talks, so I'm not going to give you one," Rachel said.

"Gee thanks," Santana said rolling her eyes and Rachel held up her hand.

"I'm not finished. I'm going to remind you of something. You have two speeds, awesome or not at all," Rachel said.

Santana smirked and snapped Rachel's hip with a dishtowel and they both laughed. "Only you could use my words to bite me in the ass."

"I didn't think you'd want me using my teeth," Rachel smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at her room mate. Santana shook her head and smiled. "I need a shower and dinner and bed, come find me if you want to talk," she told her and then headed into the bathroom.

Santana moved to the couch, covered Kurt and Marley with a blanket and then went to the kitchen, pulled out her lap top and started to research. She looked up a few local psychologists and decided she didn't like the ones she found. They either looked wrong, or looked creepy, or she didn't like their bio. She moved her search outside of Bushwick and went to the next few towns. After still not finding anyone, she moved into the proper city of Manhattan and waited for something to strike her but so far, she nothing was working.

"What are you researching?" Rachel asked heating up her bowl of stew.

"I think I need to get Marley in to see a psychologist," she sighed.

"Why is that?" Rachel asked.

"You're kidding right?" Santana asked shooting dirty and incredulous looks at Rachel.

"No, I mean, why are you doing it? Shouldn't her doctor be doing it, or maybe Miss Susan would know someone."

"Beth," Santana corrected.

"Who's Beth?" Rachel asked.

"No, you mean Miss Beth, not Miss Susan, and I already emailed her, I'm just looking up everyone I can think of because I am not sending my baby to someone who might very well hurt her, more than help her."

"Our baby," Rachel said protectively.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, so what was your day like?" Santana asked.

"Why do you ask, you don't care," Rachel laughed. "And it's okay," she assured her.

"I'm asking. Five years and I'm truly asking, because I want to know," Santana said.

"You my dear girl are lying. You want to hear, but you don't want to hear because you care, you want to hear because you want to get distracted. You want to step away from all your research and get away from Marley, because you are overwhelmed," Rachel said calmly.

"I hate you," Santana said.

"You love me," Rachel said and she picked up a spoonful of her dinner and offered to feed it to Santana, who accepted. "You just don't like that I see as much as you do and now I'm not afraid to say it. I'm also going to tell you, you're a fabulous Mommy, and she loves you, and even though it may not feel right in the moment, you are doing everything good for her. Praise yourself please!" Rachel said.

"You're still a troll," Santana said.

"A wise troll, who learned from a very good friend," she said and she wrapped Santana in a hug and didn't let go. "Sometimes, I just want to do this to you all the time," she told her and then kissed her cheek. "Not the kissing part, just this part, where I wrap you in a hug and remind you how incredible you are, because ever since you and I figured out we would be okay all those years ago, you're one of my best and very talented friends, and I don't get to do this to you very often," Rachel explained. Then she let go of the hug, put her dishes away and looked over at Kurt and Marley who were still sleeping. "So?" she asked Santana.

"So," Santana sighed and she shut the laptop and looked to Rachel. "So I'm going to bed," Santana said and the girls went to their own rooms.


	25. Chapter 25

**Happy Sunday everyone!**

**I hope you are all well. As always (although I've never put this before, I don't think) this story contains both consensual and non-consensual forms of age play as well as non-consensual action of sex. If things like this trigger you greatly then please proceed with a GREAT deal of caution.**

**It's taken 25 chapters (I seriously can't believe that number) to get to this point and I'm warning you all now, this is a major turning point in the story. I don't think any of you saw _this_ chapter coming. If you did, kudos to you and PLEASE tell me! I don't like being predictable!**

**Many thanks go to all my supporters. If you haven't left a review in a while, please do so, and I wish you all a wonderful week!**

* * *

><p>Marley woke up on Kurt's chest and tried to figure out where she was and what was going on. She focused in on Kurt and carefully slipped off of him, onto the floor. He woke up at the movement, but he decided not to say anything, he was just going to watch her in the darkness, because he didn't want to frighten her. He watched her crawl a little bit away from him into the middle of the floor. She curled up on her side, put her self into a fetal position and Kurt saw her shivering over in the coldest corner of the house. "What is she doing," he asked himself. He silently counted to ten and heard her start to snore softly, so he carefully got up and went into Santana's bedroom.<p>

"Santana," he hissed. "Santana be dressed, or covered, we need to talk," he continued and she groaned as she rolled over.

"What could you possibly want this early?" she grumbled.

"Marley crawled off of me, and is now curled up in the middle of the living room, shivering, I thought you might want to know so I don't do something to freak her out," he grouched.

"Wait, you woke me up, why are you pissed?" she said throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.

"Because I can't help her and I don't know what to do and I have to wake you up to get help in the first place," he grumbled.

"I don't know any better, you just try something and hope it works," she said and she yawned while she walked into the living room. She paused by the couch, picked up Panda and walked over to Marley. She sat down on the floor and then laid down so she was a mirror image of her little girl. "Marley baby, wake up sweetheart," she said gently and she gently brushed Panda over Marley's face. "Wake up baby, Mommy just has to talk to you really really quickly and then back to bed, I promise," she told her.

Santana knew she was faking, so she knew there was something wrong, something more, something specific that had woken Marley up. "I'm so sorry baby, I don't mean to wake you up, but you're on the cold floor, so we have to get you somewhere warmer. No one should have to sleep on a cold floor," Santana said. "Come on baby, just wake up a little bit for me," she told her and Marley struggled to 'stay asleep'.

She'd messed herself while she was sleeping in more than one way and she couldn't bring herself to 'wake up' and inform Santana of this. She didn't really have to inform her of it, because Santana could smell it. Santana looked up at the clock and realized it was too early in the morning for a disagreement, so she spoke very softly and gently.

"Okay baby girl, I don't know if you can hear me, but Mommy is going to go get you changed and then into bed, nice and warm with Mommy," she told her softly. "Panda is going to stay next to you and Mommy is going to get clean things for you," she said softly. She knew that Marley was hearing everything she said, but she was concerned that this was going to send Marley into some odd and terrible memory.

Kurt moved faster than Santana and got her the clean diaper and some wipes to get Marley truly clean before Santana even stood up. Once she had everything, he stepped away and Santana started to change her. "It's just Mommy sweetheart. It's just Mommy Santana and I'm only changing you so that you don't get a rash," Santana told her as she lowered her sweatpants to her ankles. She undid the tapes of the diaper and spoke softly. "Little by little baby girl. Little by little, Mommy Santana will get you all clean and then into bed to sleep where it's nice and warm, because you are my lovely little girl. My little girl who needs hugs and cuddles and kisses. My little girl who is loved beyond belief. My little girl who will very soon be all clean and fresh," Santana said and as she spoke she used the wipes to clean Marley up. Once she did that, she sprinkled some powder on her. "I have to rub the powder around Marley, nice and slow, nothing goes in you, because that's not fair. That's not what my baby girl wanted. My baby girl just wants to know she is loved and safe and cared for," Santana said and by this point she was getting Marley back into her sweats. "Alright baby girl, now that you're all clean and fresh, we're going to go back to bed, you and Mommy and Papa is going to help me get you into my arms," she explained to her.

Marley was absolutely faking it. Santana could tell by her breathing. Her chest wasn't rising and falling evenly. It wasn't even moving rhythmically. Marley heard every word, felt every touch, and was now trying to keep her tears at bay, since Santana's words were so loving and gentle. She was in a much older state of mind and considered herself nothing but a freak. Kurt moved in quickly behind Marley and carefully pulled her up to her feet. "Be gentle don't wake her," Santana said purposefully. She knew Marley was awake, and she was hoping that her kind words would be heard and understood.

"Just sleep baby, it's just Papa, you're okay," he told her kindly helping her into Santana's arms.

"Alright my baby girl, time to go to bed, because it is very late," Santana said softly and she looked at Kurt. "Lift up her leg, left one first, put it over here," she said tapping her hip. He gave her a funny look but she mouthed the words trust me to him, and so he did it. She quickly grabbed Marley's other leg and carried her off to bed.

"My sweet baby girl," Santana crooned gently and she got the two of them settled into bed and made sure Marley was covered up with a blanket and then covered herself, being sure to cuddle her little girl close.

* * *

><p>Rachel was awake first. She wasn't able to sleep so well last night, so she got up early and started the coffee. She was just about to pour herself a cup when she saw Marley crawl around the corner. "Well good morning baby girl," she smiled. Marley gave a slight smile and crawled over to Rachel, figuring she should do that. "Oooh, does Mama get morning hugs?" she asked her, helping her to her feet and hugging her tightly. "Mama missed you yesterday. Did you have a good day yesterday?" she asked her and Marley shook her head. "I'm sorry sweetheart," she said genuinely. "Will you tell Mama what happened?"<p>

"Mess," Marley said softly.

"Yesterday was messy?" Rachel asked her and Marley cried and shook her head. "Oh, I see," Rachel said and she kissed Marley's temple repeatedly. "How about we go get you changed then," she told her kindly.

"Mommy mad," she said.

"Mommy's mad?" Rachel asked as she lead Marley to the bathroom. "Why would Mommy be mad?"

"Bad g'uh, mess, no good, Mommy go way" she cried.

"Shhh, lay down sweetheart, and I promise you, Mommy is not mad at you. Not even a little bit," Rachel said.

"Yes she is!" Terri yelled from the corner.

"Marley honey, look at Mama," Rachel said seeing her eyes flash to the corner of the room and Rachel turned to see if there was something there, but she only saw the wall.

"You're nothing but a dirty little slut and no one is ever going to want you!" Terri yelled at her and Marley couldn't help but pee herself out of fright. Rachel snatched up the front of the diaper to contain the mess, and watched as Marley's eyes remained fixed on the corner. "A slut, do you hear me? A dirty, baby, slut. A simple freak who will never be loved, because she's not worth the shit that comes out of her! You'll be lucky you make it to live another year. You might as well just roll over and die now," Terri yelled and as she yelled she took steps closer and closer, until she was looming directly over Marley.

When Terri lunged to slap Marley, Marley screamed as loud as she could and started to vomit so Rachel quickly rolled her on her side, so she didn't choke. "Santana!" Rachel yelled and both she and Kurt came running, nearly knocking each other over in the process.

"Guess who is getting a very special cuddle day with Mommy," Santana said softly. Kurt went into the bedroom to get clean clothes for Marley to be changed into, while the girls cleaned her up and the entire time they did Marley screamed and wailed complete nonsense.

"She's gonna pass out again," Rachel said.

"Don't say that," Santana said and she saw Rachel roll her eyes. "No, stop it. Look at me. We stay calm and she will calm down. Keep it together. Do her breathing exercises with me," Santana said and Rachel went to protest. "Rachel!" Santana said seriously. "I can't keep it together for two of you. Do whatever it is you need to do, but stay calm, as soon as we get calm, she should get calm too," Santana explained.

"Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender leaf, some say love, it is a razor, that leaves a soul to bleed," Rachel sang and she kept a steady rhythm, singing something soft and slow, for their little girl to focus on. She was also doing it for herself and smiled when Santana nodded her approval. As she continued to sing, Marley started to come out of her fog. She was now clean and dressed as Rachel finished the song and Marley was now jut crying, out of pure embarrassment.

"Alright baby girl, up we go," Santana said gently and she pulled her to her feet. "Mommy is going to take her sweet baby girl into the living room. What movie would you like to watch while Mommy cooks up breakfast?" she asked her giving her gentle kisses.

"No, bad, no, Mommy," Marley hiccuped and Santana simply rubbed her back.

"Shhh, you are not bad sweetheart. You haven't done anything wrong. You're just going to sit down on the couch with Mama while Mommy cooks up breakfast," she explained.

* * *

><p>Beth had recently put out an ad for more hires. Two of her best dominants had given her three months notice. One was moving to Washington state in order to help their sister, who was about to have triplets, and the other was moving to Georgia to take care of their ailing father. Beth had been completely understanding and helpful. Her staff knew, if you gave her all of your help and effort, she would do anything in her power to help you in return when you needed it. It had all been hearsay until Marley showed up and Santana had essentially ended up the club guinea pig. It had worked though and now her staff was more than sure, that Beth meant every word she had ever said to them. They all knew she meant it when she said one of them would be punished for their transgressions.<p>

The ad had gone out several days ago and now she was being flooded with emails responding. Most of them were junk. A few of them were applying more to be a member of the club, and three of them were actual legitimate responses. The first applicant was Dianna Grayson. Her headshot was of a gorgeous young blonde, claiming to be twenty nine, although she looked much younger. Her previous jobs included a full time nanny to three families since she was sixteen, a personal assistant to a wall street executive, and a very brief stint as a certified nursing assistant, that was only put to a stop, because her family had to move and she wanted to go with them.

Beth made a few notes and moved on to the next applicant. Mark Puckerman. He was a married man with two kids, and he was the stay at home dad while his wife worked as a real estate agent. He was a former marine, having been dismissed for honorable discharge when he completed his tour of duty and found out his wife was pregnant with their second child. He was glad to be home but now that the kids were in school, he needed something else and Beth figured with his military background he would work well for some of the more particular clients who were into yelling and screaming and being talked down to. She put a few notes on his application and moved on to the third file.

Terri Swanson. A thirty two year old woman, who was looking to fill a void in her heart. Beth read over the letter and her heart went out to this woman who'd written such a beautifully worded letter. It explained that she'd had received her bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology and behavioral studies. She'd been introduced to this world of different lifestyles back in college by the pledge sister of her sorority. She'd spent eight years working for a psychologist in upstate New York, before she felt she'd gained enough knowledge to take on a charge of her own. She found a young person, who wanted to be a little one most of the time. "I helped them get in touch with what they wanted and eventually, they decided they didn't want it anymore and simply left in the middle of the night. We had a wonderful relationship to start with, or so I thought we did, and since that day, my house and my heart are empty. I am afraid to go back to taking on a charge of my own full time, and seeing this will give me the chance to not only experience what I've trained for and miss so much, but should it be decided that I'm not the right fit, they won't just up and leave without telling me. It will be a session that is finished with rather than them abandoning me."

Beth read the letter several times and while it always started out feeling like a good fit, the minute she got to the part about the little one leaving in the middle of the night, Beth got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She pushed it aside and went up to talk to Nicole about setting up interviews. "I need you to call these three people darling. Schedule them one day after the next, or as close to that as you can please. Ideally I'm looking for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I can do Friday morning, but no later than ten o'clock," Beth said and Nicole sat at her desk making her notes.

One of Beth's clients walked in and smiled kindly as he approached the desk, calmly so as not to interrupt whatever they were discussing. "Good afternoon Madame Harris," he said after he quietly signed himself in.

"Good afternoon Matthew, have a seat and I will be with you shortly. Knees together, posture straight," she commanded him politely and then sent him away with a wave of her hand.

She and Nicole discussed final details and then Beth took Matthew back to the proper room for his session. She'd managed to push the funny feeling away and did her two hour session without any incidents. She returned to the brake room after she'd taken a shower and gotten dressed again. She was having some grapes and cheese with a few of the other gentlemen of the club when Nicole tapped on the door. "Come in!" several voices called out.

Nicole walked in and several of the boys whistled at her. "Be nice to my girl," Danielle said pulling Nicole into her lap and kissing her cheek and then fed her a grape. "And why did you grace us with your presence?" she asked Nicole kindly.

"I have several messages," she said when she finished eating her grape. She picked up her small stack of papers and began addressing the room. "Sir Moon, your four o'clock needs to reschedule, their child was just sent home from school with the flu, your five thirty would like to come in earlier and there's a new client requesting a session with you specifically." He nodded and took the three notes from her.

"I will call them, thank you," he said and he stood up, kissed her cheek, making her blush heavily, and then left the room.

Nicole then turned to Danielle and gave her the message. "Miss Mercy, your session tomorrow has asked to change a few details of their appointment, and would like to talk to you about them before they come in."

"Thank you sweetheart," she said kissing her cheek in the same place Mr. Moon had done and she blushed again. Danielle helped her up, had her sit back down in the seat and then moved to the counter to get herself some water and a banana.

"Anything else darling?" Beth asked.

"Yes Miss. Terri Swanson answered on my call, she said she would like to come in as soon as possible for an interview. She claims to be desperate for this position and wants to prove it to you," Nicole said.

"Did you tell her the times I had available for appointments?"

"I did Madame, she didn't want to listen though. She wants to speak to you immediately if not sooner, and those are her exact words," Nicole explained as politely as possible.

"Was she rude to you?"

"Slightly, I think, but mainly she just sounded frustrated that she couldn't get what she wanted," Nicole said.

"Cole, we call those people brats," Danielle smirked.

"You've been with Santana too much," Beth smiled. "I will call her myself darling, thank you," Beth said. Nicole nodded and then left the break room to go to back to the front desk.

"You look very concerned Madam, is everything alright?" Danielle asked with great concern.

"Yes dear, thank you though. It's the new applicants, something isn't sitting well with me, but I don't know what. I will know more when I meet with them," Beth smiled. Danielle walked over, respectfully knelt before her boss and placed her cheek on Beth's thigh. "My girl," Beth said fondly and she played with her hair. "You're very sweet to be so concerned about your Madam," she said.

"We love you," Danielle said simply.

* * *

><p>Beth returned to her office and went over her notes. She pulled up the file she now had for Terri Swanson and decided to give this woman a call. "Hello? Terri speaking," she answered.<p>

"Hello Terri, this is Miss Beth, from Eve's Garden," she said and she was about to continue when Terri interrupted.

"Oh good, I'm glad that little secretary you have has learned that she shouldn't speak to prospective employees that way. She was incredibly rude to me over the phone. I hope you deal with your employees the way you do with your clients. I would put her over my knee and spank her until she couldn't sit for a week," Terri said.

"Yes, well I'm calling to tell you that all the positions have been filled, but thank you for your time and interest, and if we have any openings down the line we will definitely keep you in mind," Beth said. Terri didn't have to say anymore. The tone of her voice and the way she was so forceful, Beth was now convinced this person wasn't right for her club and quite possibly was the same Terri that had tortured Marley. She didn't want to jump to that conclusion though.

"That's it? That's why you called?" Terri asked.

"Yes, thank you again for your interest and have a nice day," Beth said and she hung up. Then Beth quickly went to her computer and did a small amount of research. She didn't like the way Terri spoke to her, but she couldn't be sure that this was the same Terri. She decided not to say anything to anyone other than security. She picked up the phone while she waited for her search engine to catch up to her. "Faster my ass," she grumbled to no one. Once security picked up she spoke sweetly and kindly to them, explaining, that anyone by the name of Terri was to be held in security, and the woman by the name of Terri Swanson was not to be let in at all and the police were to be called immediately.

She went back to her computer and typed in a phrase to google. Based on the statistics, the name Terri itself was rather popular and based on the age of the woman who submitted the applications, it fit the standards that she could have been any random woman. But it bothered Beth, because after all this time, they'd never been able to get any last names out of Marley. Marley only knew Terri was the name of the person who tortured her. Beth pushed it aside and went into her drawer to pull out the file for her client later that evening. "The chances are unreal," she told herself.

* * *

><p>Kurt walked by the couch and smiled slightly when he saw that Marley was lying on top of Santana, her ear to Santana's chest, and a relaxed expression on her face, while Santana kept her arm lightly draped over Marley's back as she slept. "You look comfy," he said and she frowned at him. "On second thought, you look uncomfortable and slightly ill, are you okay?" he asked.<p>

"I'm very warm at the moment, I'm worried about her, and I can't feel my ass anymore," she said honestly.

"Warm," he said slowly. "Are you sick?" he asked her with concern.

"No, I just have several extra pounds sitting on top of me," she said.

"You look very concerned," Kurt said.

"I am," she admitted.

"Would you care to tell me why?" he ventured, knowing she may not be ready to talk.

"I have a lot of doubts," she said and that was all she was going to say at the moment.

"Well, I'll do what I can, but you have to promise to talk some more," he told her. She rolled her eyes at him and he did the same in return. "You know how you tell Marley that if she doesn't communicate, we can't help her? This is just like that," Kurt told her.

"You saw what I saw. She screamed this morning and that scream was pure terror. She saw something or remembered something, or something that I don't know, and now she's been in this vegetative state all day," Santana said.

Marley twitched and wiggled a moment and then settled down, but they were only witnessing the beginning of something terrible.

_Terri sat in the front seat of the cab with her gentleman friend. "So she's really like a little slut and I can just fuck her any time I want?" he asked._

_"Absolutely, I do it. She cries out loudly and it sounds like she's having a good time," Terri smiled._

_"What about you? Can you show me a good time?" he asked her with a gleam in his eye._

_"I've taught the baby how to suck, you should wait," she said serioulsy._

_"If you show me how good you are, I'll be able to punish her, when she doesn't live up to your standards," he said and she giggled at him. Terri leaned forward and undid the zipper to his pants, freeing him pretty quickly. She lowered her mouth to his semi hard member and as soon as her hot breath connected with him, his foot hit the gas pedal and the car went faster._

_It was moving entirely too fast and Marley was holding on for dear life in the back seat. She didn't know what she was holding on to though. Her eyes were blindfolded, her body was sore, and she could feel the car speeding up second by second. She moved her hands slowly along the door, trying to figure out a way out of this mess. Maybe if she opened a window, she could grab someone's attention. Her bottom was cold and stingy now that she'd wet herself yet again. What she didn't know was that what she thought was the button to bring down the window, was the grip for the door, so every time she fiddled with it and tried to open the window, she was actually opening the door. She felt air rush over her head and felt better about things for a split second. After that split second, she pulled harder on the door. If this was going to be her life, then she was going to kill herself now and be with her mom._

_"Now or never," she told herself and she pushed as hard as she could, with what little strength she had, just as the car hit a corner. Marley was flung out of the car and thrown into a ditch nearby. The fall and the fear knocked her out cold as she tumbled down the small bank and into a muddy little puddle._

She gasped for breath and jolted herself awake, screaming in pain as her body locked out in spasm from the fast movement. "Shhh, honey, you're okay," Santana tried, but Marley screamed again and pushed herself away. Santana moved fast, so that Marley wouldn't topple off the couch and knock her head on the coffee table.

"NO!" Marley screamed.

"I know, I know, I know, but stay back, just back a bit, I don't want you falling," Santana told her.

"No, no, no," she cried and then she blinked and sort of fell apart when reality came over her.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Santana asked.

"I wanted to die!" she cried and she turned her head and vomited all over the couch.

* * *

><p>Kurt cleaned up the couch and was now pacing the floor while Santana sat with Marley in the bathroom. She was brushing back her hair and rubbing her back while Marley babbled. "I had to die, I had to. It was the only way to get away, but I didn't die, and I came here and and andandand and ru..ru..ruined your lives, and I,I,I,I, just made everything worse, and I don't have any blood family, and I don't know why you all even take care of me," she cried and then she threw up four more times, into the toilet.<p>

Santana sat there with her and rubbed her back. She had to move gently and carefully. Eventually Marley stopped throwing up and Santana looked at her carefully. "Do you want to try more ginger ale?" she offered and Marley nodded. She took little sips and then looked at Santana, resembling a little lost girl. "So I take you had a memory?" she asked and Marley nodded again. "You can tell me any or all of it Marley. I will take all of my cues from you, you just have to talk to me. It's always been about communication Marley, so when you are ready, I would like for you to share with me what you remember and maybe what you want to talk about," she told her kindly.

"I really did want to die. Nothing was what I thought it was. Nothing was normal, or loving. I mean it kind of started out that way, but very quickly took a turn and she turned me into this, this freak, this slutty, unloved, unwanted, thing," she said.

"Okay, first off, I told you earlier. Slutty is an untrue description of you, and a dirty word," she told her.

"How is that even close to true?" Marley almost whined and Santana had to control herself. "I asked for all of that. I wanted everything done to me, so that does make me the slut she said I was."

"Is it?" Santana asked and Marley looked at her with a mix of fear, anger, and frustration. "I'm serious. Is what Terri did to you what you really wanted?" she asked and Marley shook her head in confusion, not truly understanding what Santana was getting at. "Okay, just listen and think for a moment. When I first met you, you couldn't talk, because you had sores all over your mouth. Was that what you wanted?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. "Okay, so then you didn't ask for this. You maybe jumped into something that you didn't know everything about, but I highly, highly doubt, that you wanted this as the outcome. I think that you living with us, wasn't something any of us thought would happen. We didn't know each other. You didn't want to be put in a position where three complete strangers would come to love you as their own and make you their family for as long as you wanted it. That isn't want you wanted. As far as I'm aware, until you tell me otherwise, you wanted someone to make you feel loved and special. Terri didn't do that for you. Terri scared the shit out of you and tortured you. You didn't want that. Now you're with us and you're learning about trust and communication in a safe place, and I think you know it's a safe place," Santana explained. "And don't tell anyone I said this, but I think I've become a slightly softer person, which is because of you and it's a good thing," she said and Marley simply smiled. "You didn't ask to be tortured baby, I don't know too many people who ask for that in the first place," Santana said and then she fell quiet for a moment. "Do you remember what woke you up?"

"I was in a car, going really fast, and I could hear them. I could hear them talking. He wanted her to show him how I was supposed to do it, so that when I did do it, they could punish me for doing it wrong," she said tears flowing freely now. "The car was flying it felt like, and I couldn't see anything, so I was pulling on anything and everything as best I could and I felt wind. I could hear it, it was really loud too. I remember rolling and I think I cried out once, but the next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed," she said sadly.

"Do you remember how you got from the car to the hospital?"

"No," she said and she fell deadly quiet. "I just wanted to die," she said after a minute. "My mom, she was the most amazing woman, the best person in my life, and we didn't have much, but it didn't matter. We were each others support system, and when she died, I just wanted that back. I needed someone, to love me the way she did."

"How did she die?" Santana asked carefully. Marley was not in age play mode at all, not even a little bit, and Santana had to tread carefully. She didn't want to ask a question that would push Marley too far in one direction or the other. If Marley wanted to slip back into being a little girl, that was okay with Santana. If she wanted to continue being her proper nineteen year old self, that was okay too. What she didn't want to happen was for Marley to have such and overload, that she clammed up completely and went back to a semi catatonic state.

"Brain aneurism. We had dinner, said our good nights, and our I love yous and all that other stuff that we used to do, and then in the morning, I woke up and she didn't," Marley said and she broke down into tears again and fell forward into Santana, needing to be held and comforted. Santana gathered her close and rocked her slightly. She didn't want to cause so much movement that Marley threw up again. "I needed my mom," she said.

"I'm sorry Marley, I am so sorry," Santana said, her own tears falling slowly. Marley couldn't take any more, she didn't want to remember any of this any more, and she looked at Santana.

"Mommy?" she asked softly trying to push away her tears and gasping for breath. She couldn't be a big girl anymore. It was too much stress and there was still that part of her that had to be sure, she could be whomever she wanted when she was with Santana and still be safe.

"What can I help you with baby girl?" she asked her.

"I.i. th,th,th,that lalala lady gonna g,g,g,et me?" she asked her words coming out so short and stuttered that Santana had to think for a moment, before she responded.

"Which lady sweetheart?"

"Teh, teh, terri," she stuttered.

"I will never let Terri get anywhere near you Marley. Mommy Santana, Mama Rachel, and Papa Kurt, no one, will ever let her near you. As far as we know she's gone off to live off the rest of her life, and you are now here with us," Santana said.

"B,b,but, I,I,I,I s,s,s,saw her," she said.

"Okay, breathe for me for a minute, and then tell me where you saw her," Santana said.

Marley waited a moment and then thought. "With Mama," she said slowly.

"Where were you and Mama when you saw her?" Santana asked kindly and Marley started to cry. Something was terribly wrong. Why would Rachel let Terri near her. She'd been protecting her since the very first day they'd met. She thought and thought and tried to put it together. "Marley baby, it's okay. Take your time and think, but just be calm and know that you are in your house, our house, and you are definitely safe," Santana explained.


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everyone,**

**This week's chapter is a bit early & a bit of a mix. Tomorrow is going to be a little hectic for me, so I'm posting a day early. I'm hoping to be able to post another chapter tomorrow, but if I can't then at least you all still get an update.**

**Triggers for this chapter are really just Marley hallucinating, so if you're hyper sensitive to that, then you've been warned.**

**As always, (and I forgot this last chapter), many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008, for the encouragement and support. **

**If you haven't reviewed in a while please do so. Reviews are like crack & I'm suffering withdrawals, although, I wasn't too go on record & day that for those who do review, no matter the method, (some people PM me), I am SO incredibly grateful.**

**Happy weekend to you all!**

* * *

><p>A week had gone by, since Marley had "seen" Terri in the bathroom with her. She was doing much better, although she spent a lot of time in her little girl world, around age three or four. Santana was starting to get back to a more regular schedule, but today she was off and it was a day for therapy for Marley.<p>

Marley was seated in the living room playing with her see and say while she waited for therapy to start and Santana was in the kitchen making sure a snack was ready for when it was done. Joe showed up, just as she finished preparing the snack and Marley frowned. "I don't wanna Mommy," she pouted as Santana let Joe in.

"And why is that my love?" Santana asked calmly.

"I don't wanna walk," she said simply.

"You can't crawl across the city my love," Santana told her.

"I juss don' wanna Mommy," Marley said.

"Well Mr. Joe is here, so we have to follow his rules at the moment okay? And we're going to be polite and respectful, or Marley is going to sit in time out," Santana warned her kindly.

Marley pouted but Joe smiled at her. "It's going to be such a simple day for you Marley, you're going to be bored," he told her and she looked at him with question. Therapy was never boring. "You've done exceptionally well lately so today I just want you to stand," he said and she gave him a very skeptical look, one that was classic Santana saying "yeah right" with just her eyes.

"Marley," Santana warned, catching her look and not approving of it at all.

"Mommy," she whined softly.

"No baby, we have to do therapy today," Santana told her and she helped her to her feet and gave her a hug. "I love you and I'm right here. We're not asking you to run a marathon," she said and then she turned to Joe. "Wait, are we?" she asked him trying to lighten the mood, but apparently Marley didn't think it was so funny.

"No, not until next week," Joe teased. "Today I just want her to stand still," he said. "No support, no help, just Marley standing up by herself. That's all I want her to do. She knows how to stand, she does well with that. The next step is to just let her stand up, on her own. Marley, I will not let go for long and your Mommy can stay with you too. Eventually though, by the end of today, you'll be standing on your own, for up to a full minute," Joe explained.

"No, fall down!" Marley protested.

"Do you really think I would let that happen?" Santana asked her quickly and sternly and Marley shrunk back a little bit. Santana softened and knelt in front of her. "I'm here and I'm not leaving and I will not let you get hurt on purpose. I have said that to you every day, since we first got together and I have no intentions of doing anything different. So we are going to stand up and go over to Mr. Joe and we're going to start therapy," Santana said.

Santana stood her up and held her close, rubbing her back and talking kindly to her. "You're okay my sweet girl, and I'm right here and I'm not going to leave you alone. We're going to stand here together and we're going to just listen to what Mr. Joe says.

"Marley it's very simple. I want you to stand and we're going to help you balance and then very slowly we're going to start letting go. We're going to have our hands on your stomach and back, like we've been practicing. Then we're going to take them away and put them back on and you're going to count," he said.

"Gators?" she asked.

"Yes, in alligators," Joe said. "First only three alligators," he told her and Santana gave him a curious look. "Kurt came up with it," he said and Marley nodded.

"Papa said gators make me even," she told her.

"That doesn't make any sense to me, but if it works, then that's what we'll do," Santana said. She wasn't sure she liked talk of alligators. She wasn't sure why, but it bothered her. She took a breath and watched as Joe moved his hands carefully to Marley's back and stomach. Once she was steady, he moved the hand on her stomach away, keeping her back braced.

"One gator, two gator, three gator," she said evenly and he nodded putting his hand back in place.

"That was excellent Marley, now let's do the back. Still only three," he told her. She nodded and as soon as his hand was gone, she counted out three alligators. "Very good. Now I will hold on and Mommy is going to let go. Stomach first, three seconds. Then back, three seconds." That exercise was repeated four times before Joe decided that it was time to progress. "Okay, now Mommy will hold you and I will take away both hands. Do you know what that means?"

"Fall down," she practically growled at him.

"Stop it now," Santana told her sternly.

"I will," she whined.

"If we both pulled our hands off of you really quickly, then yes you might. That is not what I said though. I said that only I was going to let go for three seconds, and your Mommy will still be holding you," he said and she blushed a bit in embarrassment, but nodded. "When I take them off, then you can start counting," he told her. He removed his hands and she counted. He gave her lots of praise and then held her while Santana let go. It was a comforting feeling to be wrapped in someone's arms. It was safe and secure. When they were holding her, bracing her with just their hands on her core, it was safe as well, but not as safe. Over time she'd learned she wouldn't fall down, but now it was going to change from two sets of hands to one set of hands and the new strange feeling of that scared her. "Alright Marley, let's go again," he said and she just kept nodding along, waiting for Joe's hands to leave her body.

His hands came off and she started counting. "One gator, two gator, three gator," she said and when his hands didn't go back onto her immediately, she panicked. "Three," she said again and still he didn't move. "Three, three, three," she said, over and over again waiting for him to put her hands back on her.

"Shhh, calm down Marley. I said it was going to be longer," he told her eventually when he realized she wasn't focusing any longer.

"No!" she cried angrily.

"Yes I did," he told her gently.

"NO NO NO!" she screamed at him her hand moving directly on top of Santana's and holding it tight in place.

"Stop screaming baby," Santana said seriously and she got in very close and held Marley tight to her body. "Shhh, stop screaming. You did a good thing. You did well. You should be proud of yourself," she tried.

"No, no, no," she cried.

"Shh, okay love, why?" she asked her gently. Something wasn't adding up and Santana couldn't figure it out.

"Lied, three, only three," she pleaded.

"But you did five, that should be celebrated," Santana reasoned.

"No," she said seriously. "You lie!" she said seriously to Joe.

"No he did not little girl. Mr. Joe said we were going to try again but for more than three seconds. He asked you to count to five and you nodded your agreement. Did you not hear him?" she asked her and it all came crashing down like a ton of bricks around Marley. Someone had spoken to her and she didn't remember it.

"YOU LIED!" she yelled at Joe.

"And you are going into the corner, right now, ten minutes," Santana told her seriously. She wasn't going to let Marley get away with that.

* * *

><p>Rachel came home to screaming and crying and one look at Santana she knew Marley had given Joe a hard time. She sat herself down on the couch and Marley quickly crawled over to her. "Mama!" she cried out and crawled over to her and carefully made her way up on to the couch.<p>

"Marley Rose, what did Mommy tell you?" Santana scolded.

"Mama home, I see Mama," Marley back talked.

"You can see Mama when you're done sitting in the corner. You do not back talk," Santana scolded. "Get back. Ten minutes."

"I was!" Marley whined.

"You left before I released you. Back to the corner!"

"Mama," Marley pouted looking at Rachel.

"You're not getting me in trouble. Into the corner," she told her and Marley burst into tears. "Come on munchkin," Rachel said kindly and she helped Marley to the corner and had her sit down before going over to Santana. "What happened?" she asked kindly.

"She's afraid and needs reassurance. I will give her all of that, but she doesn't get to back talk Joe, or any of us, and she knows this," Santana said.

"MAMA!" Marley cried and Santana watched Rachel keep herself composed.

"Kurt should be home in half an hour, will her time be up by then," Rachel whispered and Santana nodded.

"Well as long as she stays in the corner now," Santana told her.

"Good," Rachel whispered slipping up close to Santana and wrapping her in a hug, "because I can't take that painful cry for much longer, and I think you can't either," she said and Santana shrugged.

"It's just frustrating. I want to help her and she wants to help herself, but she doesn't even truly know what's wrong, so nothing can be done. The back talk thing though, that I won't put up with," she said seriously as she fished some carrots out of the spaghetti sauce.

"I think you're right," Rachel said and she leaned in and kissed Santana's cheek and tried to steel a carrot at the same time and Santana smacked her hand.

"Stop being a thief," she scolded her, slapping her hand away, but letting her keep the carrot. "You're eating all the tomato acid, that's why we put the carrots in, in the first place," Santana lectured but she stopped when she heard a sharp soft noise. Marley sat in the corner crying and she was starting to hyperventilate. Santana caught it out of the corner of her eye and sighed. "Just breathe Marley, you're okay and your pacifier is in your left fist," she told her seeing how tense Marley was. "She's freaking out," Santana hissed at Rachel.

"Do you want me to go talk to her?" Rachel offered.

"No, but you can release her, she's been there for ten minutes," Santana said.

"No my dear, that is you. You release her and I will be with her should she want, but you were the one who said we had to be consistent, which means since you were the one who put her in the corner, _you_ need to release her and for love of God wrap her in a hug and keep her there."

"I can't keep her in a bubble," she said.

"We can try," Rachel told her.

Santana rolled her eyes and went over to Marley. "Alright baby girl. Time out is over, you can come out now," she said and Marley practically flew into her arms, holding on tight, trembling violently.

"No bad, no bad," she cried holding on as tight as she could and Santana sighed.

She sat herself down on the floor and kept Marley in her lap, keeping her close and soothing her gently. "Marley, _you_ are not a bad girl. You are a very good girl who _sometimes_ does naughty things. Do you know what you did today that was naughty?" she asked her gently. Marley thought for a moment, shook her head yes, and then shoved her pacifier into her mouth, trying to stay calm, needing Santana to hold her. "You know what would be great? If you told Mommy what it was," she encouraged and Marley couldn't do it. All she felt was fear and pain in her muscles. Her legs were starting to cramp a little bit from the work she'd done earlier.

"Okay my lovely ladies, if you're ready to eat, so is dinner," Rachel said and Marley shook her head no and pushed her body into Santana. Unable to take the pitiful sight before her, she made a large plate and added a decent sized piece of bread. She moved over to the other two girls and sat down. She twirled some spaghetti onto the fork, made it a decent sized bite and fed it to Santana first. Then she repeated the process for herself and then made a small bite for Marley.

"Look baby, dinner time," Santana told her. "Look, Mama has a bite for you," Santana said trying to get her to turn her head so Rachel could feed her. Marley whimpered, rested her head on Santana's shoulder and felt pain wrack her body. Santana felt Marley's muscles tense and she sighed and rubbed her back. "You know what baby, if you let Mama feed you, then the pain will go away," Santana said and as she spoke, she ripped off a small piece of bread. She hooked her finger into the ring of the pacifier, but didn't tug. "Can Mommy have this for now, so you can eat?" she asked her and Marley simply cried, dropping her jaw so the pacifier would fall out. It fell out and Marley carefully accepted the bite, but then turned back into Santana. "You know what I think? I think Mommy's baby girl, needs a good dinner, and a bath, and cuddle time on the couch, and then bed," Santana told her lovingly and Marley simply cried.

Rachel took the moment to feed Santana her next bite and spoke kindly. "You know what baby? Maybe if you told Mommy or Mama why you were so sad, we could maybe help you," Rachel suggested. Marley shook her head no and pressed herself into Santana.

"Okay baby girl, this is what we're going to do. You can cuddle with Mommy if you like, I will always hold you," Santana told her. "However, Mommy and Mama are very hungry, so we're all going to move to the table and if you want to continue to sit on my lap, you can," Santana told her.

"Shouldn't she eat?" Rachel asked.

"When she's hungry, she will tell us. Marley is a very bright girl," Santana assured her as Rachel helped them both to stand up and then moved them over to the table. Santana sat down and Marley didn't hesitate, she carefully moved to straddle Santana's lap, so they were chest to chest, and she put her head on Santana's shoulder, trembling slightly, and pushing her pacifier into her mouth.

* * *

><p>Susan walked by Beth's office and noticed that her friend and boss looked perplexed about something. "Need help?" she asked standing in the doorway, looking in on Beth.<p>

"Perhaps, do you have time, or do the boys need you?" Beth asked. She knew all of her employees, very well.

"The babysitter said they are doing fine. I can stay," Susan said and she sat down.

"I'm actually very concerned about our new applicants, and about Marley," she said and Susan nodded at her to continue. "We have three applicants, two female and one male. I'm only concerned about this one," she said pushing the file of Terri Swanson over to Susan.

"Is the the same person I think it might be?" Susan asked.

"Thank you for saying that, because I thought I was being over critical," Beth said and then she explained the entire story of this Terri person calling and giving not only Nicole, but Beth a hard time.

"I would be cautious. It's not the most popular name."

"Well it actually isn't as low ranked as we thought. I did some research earlier and it turns out that in the late 70's early 80's which is about the time, this woman was born, the name ranked around the 200's out of all the names that were registered those years," Beth explained.

"Yeah, but the chances of it being her? We are in New York City, it's not an unheard of name. It's not as unusual and unique as something like Davina. It is however a name that will scare the shit out of Marley," Susan said. "Quite possibly literally."

"That is my other concern. Santana would like to bring her in to be with you, tomorrow, so that she can have her own proper session."

"Who is she having it with?"

"Me."

"Good, spank her for being fresh," Susan said seriously and Beth laughed softly, but made a note and agreed to doing so. "Here's the main question though, what's happened with the Terri person?"

"I've put her name down with security, as well as her picture, and they've been told she is not allowed on this floor," Beth said. "I was also thinking that we meet Santana and Marley down at the entrance, to make sure they get up here safely. If this is the Terri I don't want it to be, then she is applying here for one of two reasons."

"To find Marley or to find someone else," Susan finished and Beth nodded.

"Thank you for confirming my suspicions," Beth smiled.

"So how long do I get my baby girl Marley for?" Susan asked and Beth moved to the computer to look up the information.

"Three hours," she said.

"That's going to be a very stressful three hours," Susan said thoughtfully. "She does like the rocking horse though."

"Marley?" Beth asked in surprise.

"Yes, Marley."

"Susan my friend, I've been in the nursery. I know perfectly well what goes on with that rocking horse," she said giving Susan a look.

"Miss Beth," someone whined in the hallway, although they stood at the door and waited for permission. "Miss Karen left me, and said she was bringing me to Nanny's room so I could ride the horse in there," she pouted.

"Katherine Anne, what are you doing out of your session with Miss Karen?" she asked her sternly.

"She had to go pee, and left me with a video, but then she took forever, and I didn't want to wait and now she forgot me," the little girl whined. "Hi Nanny, do you like my dress?" she asked twirling for her.

"Young lady, come over here," Beth said sternly and Katherine pouted and moved over to Beth, looking at her with a pout and puppy dog eyes, hoping it would help her case. "You know that Miss Karen told you to stay in your room and yet you left, without her knowing, so you could come find me. Many things could have happened to you."

"But Miss Beth, I'm eight, I'm a big girl," she said.

"Big girls follow instructions. You did not. Over my knee," Beth told her seriously and the little girl pouted. Beth helped the nineteen year old "eight year old" over her lap, and gave her ten firm spanks. "Now then. Into the corner, and you wait there," she said and then hit the intercom. "Nicole darling, please find Miss Karen and tell her that little Kitty is with me," Beth said.

Karen arrived a few moments later and frowned. "You just lost your trip to go on the horse little girl," she scolded and took her hand and lead her to the door. "Apologize to Miss Beth and Nanny for interrupting them," she scolded. Kitty gave her apology and was then taken back to the room and Beth smiled at Susan.

"There is no way that Marley wants to ride on the horse, for the same reason Kitty does," she said.

"Marley doesn't know that there are attachments to the saddle. The vibrators and all stimulating piece can be hidden or removed completely. You can take it off or invert it on the saddle. I've inverted it, so to her, it's just a fun little toy and she actually smiled, the last time she rode on it," Susan said.

"Then I apologize, I didn't know about that part," Beth said kindly.

"You are forgiven and for what it's worth, I think you've done a very good job with preparing security about this Terri person. It's definitely much more suspicious now that she's called to harass us, well the club, about working here," Susan said.

"Well for now, I think I've done all I can to protect my staff and my clientele. For now, go home to your sons and I will see you tomorrow," she smiled.

* * *

><p>Kurt came home to find the girls resting on the couch. Marley was lounging in Rachel's arms while Santana fed her dinner, bite by bite, being sure to go slow and careful for her. It was always much more of a challenge when Marley was tired, and right now, she was exhausted. Santana had been very careful, but as Marley's tired body, gave up on staying awake and her head lolled to the side slightly, the fork accidentally touched her cheek and Marley set to screaming.<p>

"Shhh, shhh, shhh, hold on sweetheart," Rachel said and she wiped her face. "Shhh, all done baby, all done. You're okay. No more mess," she cooed softly and Marley continued to whine and fight.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Kurt asked softly walking over to see if he could help.

"Papa!" Marley cried and Santana frowned and nodded at Rachel to let her go. Marley used every last ounce of strength she had to pull herself up to kneeling at the back of the couch and reached for Kurt, so she could be held. She needed him and when she was that upset, he hated denying her.

"It's okay," Santana sighed and she got up, wrapped Marley's dinner in tupperware and put it in the fridge. She watched from the kitchen as Kurt held Marley in his arms and she watched her eyes cloud over and her body tense. She heard Kurt tell her to breathe and to calm down and saw it not happening.

Marley hung on to Kurt and started to tremble and looked fearful, her eyes widening in pure terror as they focused in toward Santana. "Slut! Do you hear me little girl! A complete slut!" Terri screamed and she stood near Santana and Marley was starting to wet herself. Rachel heard it hit the seat of her diaper and struggled not to move too quickly seeing how upset Marley was. "Nothing but a worthless slut who doesn't deserve anything at all. You just wear the diaper, because you're not worthy of using the toilet. Only normal people get to use the toilet. You should be lucky I don't use _you_ as my toilet!" Terri yelled. She was screaming it and it was so loud and so clear that it was giving Marley a migraine. Her ears were starting to hurt with the shrill voice that was getting louder and Marley saw Terri getting closer and she started to shriek and cry. She screamed when she saw Terri shove Santana into the fridge. Kurt felt her body jerk and she started to melt down into the couch, slipping out of his arms.

Rachel helped her to stay in Kurt's arms and Santana moved as quickly as she could to the couch so they were surrounding Marley. "Some, where, over the rainbow," Santana said keeping her voice gentle and making it as much a lullaby as she could. Once Marley was a little bit calmer, Santana continued to sing and lightly touched Marley's face, locking eyes with her waiting for Marley to respond. "Way, up, high," she sang gently and Marley blinked a bit and tears sprang to her eyes, but Santana kept singing, until Marley was reaching for her, begging to be held. Santana stopped singing and pulled Marley into her arms, having her sit on the back of the couch while she stood between her legs and rubbed her back and combed her fingers through her hair.

"Mommy," she cried and Santana frowned.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're safe baby. You and Mommy and Mama and Papa. Everyone is here and everyone is safe, so we're going to put you in a clean diaper, and you and Mommy are going to go to bed, because I think my beautiful, sweet, gentle baby girl, is very tired and in need of bed," she said giving her kisses between each descriptive word to help emphasize her point, wanting Marley to feel loved, important, and special.

She very carefully carried her into the bedroom and Kurt and Rachel moved quickly to support Santana's back so she would be better able to support Marley's weight. Santana carried her to their bedroom, put her down on the bed, and gently moved to her side, kneeling next to her hip. She needed to keep her calm. "Shhh, look at me baby, look at Mommy," Santana said softly. Marley shifted her gaze and saw Terri behind Santana and started to fuss. "Shhh, just Mommy baby, just Marley and Mommy Santana," she tried and Marley focused in for three seconds before drifting off again, her eyes going over Santana's shoulder to the far off corner of the wall. "Shhh, look at Mommy baby, only at Mommy," she coached and Marley shut her eyes and cried, while Santana alternated between singing and talking so she could change her.

Once Marley was set, Santana gathered her in her arms and kept her close. She rocked her gently side to side, telling her how good she was, and how safe she was, and then sang softly to her. They were still cuddled up tight on the bed when Rachel showed up in the doorway. "Mama's snooping," Santana teased and Rachel wrinkled her face and moved in to speak softly.

"Mama came with a story," Rachel said softly.

"Mama?" Marley asked.

"Yes baby, it's just Mama," Rachel told her kindly moving to take a seat on the bed. "You know what sweetheart? I think you and Mommy should lay down on the bed together and just cuddle while Mama reads a story," Rachel said.

"A story?" Santana asked.

"Do you suddenly despise my voice?" Rachel asked Santana directly and softly.

"Since high school," Santana smirked and Rachel simply poked out her tongue and showed Santana the book. The Pokey Little Puppy. "Sure," Santana sighed.

"Alright my girls lie back for me," Rachel said kindly and she sat near Marley's hip while Santana spooned Marley gently in her arms, keeping her cocooned between then. Rachel read the story slowly, upside down, so that Marley could look at the pictures while Rachel read the story.

When she finished the story, she closed the book and gently tucked some stray hairs behind Marley's ear. "You did that very well," Santana said.

"You sound surprised," Rachel smiled.

"I haven't mastered reading upside down yet," Santana said.

"You're not the only one who can commit something to memory," Rachel smirked and Santana raised an eyebrow in question. "When I'm on break at work, I read this," she said dancing the book in her lap. "I had to do something to help out, so this was the best I could come up with," Rachel explained. "Are you okay?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Santana said.

"That was very terrible. I'm not convinced at all, because I know what I saw," Rachel said.

"And what was that," Santana asked, her voice holding question and she was trying to find patience inside her body. She was exhausted and she didn't think snapping at Rachel was going to help anything at all.

"I know that I saw my friend standing at the fridge, looking on at her little girl, with pure fear in her eyes. I've seen you sad and I've seen you nervous before, but I've never seen pure fear in your eyes. You're unshakable. You're the strongest woman I know," Rachel told her.

"Well congratulations you found a chink in my armor," Santana said fighting back her tears. She didn't like that Rachel could see she was afraid and unsure of what to do.

"Hey," Rachel said softly and she placed her hand on Santana's cheek, using the pads of her thumbs to brush away the tears. "It's not a bad thing. I want to help, but if you don't talk to me, I'm not going to know how," she told her. "I know you don't like hearing this, but it's true. I love you. Kurt loves you. We are all in this together and what's more is that Kurt and I want to help you. You just have to let us in," she told her.

"I don't know how," Santana said honestly. "She has questions that need to be answered, but I can't answer them, because she doesn't actually know what her questions are, and it's all very frustrating," Santana said on a sigh.

"Have you talked to your bosses about a break? A true and proper Mommy break? Where you can just go and be Santana and not worry about Marley, you just get to be yourself. Let go, be free, all that hippie sounding stuff," Rachel said.

"You're a dork, and yes I have. I have a three hour session tomorrow, for me."

"Good, and when is it? Why haven't you asked for a babysitter?"

"Calm down there Kujo," Santana said. "She's coming with me. She's going to be with Susan. She was excited about it. Is excited about it," Santana said and Rachel smiled.

"Just remember. You have support, here in this house, in _our_ house. Please don't think you can't ask for help," she told her.


	27. Chapter 27

**Happy Sunday everyone,**

**I found some spare time, so here is the regularly scheduled Sunday update. I know the last chapter seemed to leave some of you with questions. This one will leave you with even more, just hang in there. I promise to get it all ironed out by the time the story ends. There are also some twists and turns coming up, so just be prepared for a bumpy ride.**

**Warnings for this chapter: Marley is in the nursery at the club, so a few more age play things show up. That's about it really. No violent descriptions of anything.**

**My thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their encouragement and support. **

**PLEASE review, and I wish you all a wonderful week!**

**Be well friends.**

* * *

><p>Santana very carefully helped Marley to the door and they stood behind a woman who was apparently going in for a session. Marley stayed close to Santana and decided not to look at the security officers. She put her head on Santana's shoulder and finally the guard gave the woman before him permission to leave and Santana stepped closer.<p>

She happened to watch the woman walk back out the front door and thought it strange. No one was ever asked to sign out. Beth only required her clients to sign in. Perhaps there had been a rule change though. She didn't know what she had missed while she was bonding with Marley, and she didn't have to sign into the book for quite some time now. All Dominants were required to check in with security, and then sign in with Nicole at the front desk, in order for them to get paid. Nicole was usually on top of things, as security would call to inform her, who was on the way up to see her.

"Hello Miss Rivers," he smiled at her once the woman left.

"Hey Jack. How's your day?" she asked him.

"Same ol', same ol'," he smiled. "How are you?" he asked.

"Glad to be here and Marley is feeling very shy all of a sudden," she said apologizing for Marley's lack of communication.

"No worries, I don't think I would want to communicate either," he said kindly and Santana gave him a kind smile.

"Okay Miss Rivers, sign in here," he said giving her the book and she rubbed Marley's back, signing their names in and Jack smiled at her.

"Can you at least give Mr. Jack a smile?" Santana asked kindly and Marley whimpered and held tighter to Santana. Something was bothering her but she wasn't ready to share. "Okay baby, let's go upstairs," Santana told her and she started to walk away toward the front elevators that would bring them to Nicole's desk.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry Miss Rivers, you need to go to this elevator today," he told her gesturing to his right and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Miss Beth's orders," he told her.

"Well we can't disobey Miss Beth," she said and they went up to the third floor where Susan and Beth met them outside. "Look baby, a welcoming committee," Santana smirked and Beth just rolled her eyes.

It was the middle of the day and there were a lot of clients on the books today, so going through the front door would expose Marley to a great number of people that they didn't know if she could handle. "Hi Marley," Susan grinned and Marley turned a bit, giving the faintest of smiles to Susan. "There's my lovely little girl. I'm so glad I get to spend time with you today," Susan grinned.

"She's excited too, although she's not showing it now," Santana said kindly.

"Why don't the three of you get set and I'll meet Santana in my office when she's ready," Beth said. They all nodded and went down the hallway to the nursery.

* * *

><p>Kurt had dragged himself home from work and decided he was going to collapse on the couch. Rachel was at work and Santana and Marley were at the club. He was more than excited to have the house to himself for a couple of hours. He stood in front of the elevator, sorting through the mail waiting for the door to open and when they did a dirty blonde stepped out of the elevator and nearly ran him over. "Oh," she said excitedly, glad to have found someone. She was hoping he knew what was going on in the building, because no one else wanted to give her the time of day. "Hey, do you live here?" she asked him.<p>

"Yes," he said simply and he stared at her, trying to figure out who she was, and he had this terrible sinking feeling he knew. He was trying to push it aside, and convince himself, this wasn't the woman he thought it was.

"Great. Do you know a little girl who lives here? Well she's not that little, but she's my little girl. She's about this tall, brown hair, answers to the name Marley," she said and Kurt felt his stomach drop. There was no way this was Terri. For all they knew Terri was out in the woods somewhere, doing only God knows what. "Hello?" she asked snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"I'm thinking," he grouched at her, slapping her fingers away from his face.

"She was taken away from home and needs to be reunited. I miss my little girl," the woman said.

"And what's your name?"

"I'm her mother," she growled.

"Yeah, but I can't just say oh some girl named Marley's mother was here," he said. "It's not helpful for when the police come looking."

"The police? No, you don't need to involve the police, she's nineteen," the woman said playing it off and suddenly looking very nervous since Kurt mentioned the police. "Look, it's not that hard, do you know her or not?" she asked getting flustered.

"Look lady, there are a hundred people in this building. I don't socialize," he told her and then pushed past her and went into the elevator, pushing the button for his floor and as soon as the doors closed, he put his fist in his mouth and screamed.

That was definitely Terri and he didn't know how far into the building she had been, so he did the first thing he could think of, which was to call Santana, but she was at the club. He didn't think he'd be able to contact her directly, so he decided to just call the club instead.

* * *

><p>"Eve's Garden, may I help you."<p>

"Yes, I need to talk to Santana Lopez please, this is her room mate and this is an emergency," he said. He wasn't sure how he got all those words out though, because his entire body was trembling.

"I'm sorry Sir, but she's in session."

"Okay, I don't remember your name, I've met you once. You're a very nice girl, with blonde hair down to your shoulders, and you know my family situation. I am telling you that if you do not put Santana on the phone, Marley and the rest of your club could be in a great deal of danger!" Kurt snapped.

"I'm really sorry, but I cannot interrupt session Sir," Nicole said honestly.

"NICOLE!" he shouted, finally remembering her name and then he softened his voice. "That's it, that's your name. Nicole! Nicole, I will do or say whatever it is, you need so you do not get in trouble. You need to get Santana now, because I do not know who else to call," he said.

"Hold on," she sighed and she put him on hold and took a deep breath. She walked to the proper room and raised her hand. She knew that she was never to interrupt session, but she heard a lot of desperation in Kurt's voice, so she took a very deep breath, closed her eyes and knocked on the door. She waited for the voice on the other side to say come in and after what seemed like an eternity it did. "I'm very sorry Madam, but there is a phone call for Miss Rivers and they are insisting that this is a life and death emergency," she said not able to look at Beth or Santana. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

Santana jumped slightly at the sound of the knock. She was right on the brink of an orgasm and the knock had 'scared it away' so she wrapped herself in a sheet and stormed over to the desk to pick up the phone on Beth's desk. "This better be life or death," she growled into the phone.

"Terri's back."

"Fuck," Santana said and she took a lot of deep breaths before looking at Beth. "Please check in on Marley for me," she said her voice full of panic. Beth watched with concern. Santana's emotions went from down right pissed off to complete fear.

"You will calm yourself right now," Beth ordered her and then she took Nicole's hand. "And you my darling, you come with me," she said taking her out of the room to check on Marley.

"I'm so sorry Miss," Nicole whimpered.

"Shhh, it's alright my dear. You used your best judgement, and I'm sorry you got so scared and worked up about this. I'm not mad. This is a very difficult situation that we've never had to deal with before. We're all sort of swimming in confusion. I'm not mad my love," she told her and she kept her in a tight cuddle to help calm her.

"Kurt, what the fuck is going on?" Santana asked on the verge of tears.

"Terri. Terri was here, or someone was here. She was looking for Marley. She asked for a little girl. If I had seen a little girl. The difference was, she described our little girl. Our Marley, down to every little detail," he said. "And when I tried to get a name so I could help her with the police search, she decided not to tell me, and ran out of the building as fast as she could."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, where's Berry?" she asked.

"She's at work," Kurt told her. "Your ears are steaming. I know I bothered everything you're doing and I'm really sorry about that, but I need to know what you want to do, but I'm pretty sure, none of us should be staying here, if it is in fact Terri that was the one who came looking," he said.

"Yeah, you're right," she sighed. "I need time, a little while. Pack a run bag. One for all of us. There are several backpacks in my room, in the small closet. Just grab pajamas and two days worth of clothes for all of us. Come to the club and I'll figure it out from there," she told him and then looked up as Beth returned.

"Marley is fine, she's with Susan in the nursery, laughing at a book they're reading," she said and Santana smiled.

"She's here and safe. Take care of the backpacks, and we'll take it from there, once you and Berry make it here to the club. Text her and tell her to come here straight from work," she said.

"I'm not your pet, but I understand," Kurt told her and the two hung up.

Santana fell to the floor and Beth moved over to her, lifting her up and keeping her close. She was shaking with lots of various feelings and she was only wearing a sheet. "Come on my love," Beth said kindly and brought her over to the bed, so she could sit down and get herself settled.

"I have to see her," she told Beth. "Please Miss. I have to," she pleaded with Beth and Beth pulled up the app on her cell phone and showed it to Santana who watched the live video feed and broke down into tears.

"Talk to me sweetheart," Beth encouraged.

"She didn't deserve any of this," Santana said, tears slipping down her face and she brushed them away before they fell on the phone. "She told me the other day she wanted to die. She told me that when she was in the hospital, she didn't know why or how she got there, but she told me she wanted to die. She only wanted to die because Terri tortured her. She's so happy, I can't make her that sad frightened little girl again," she cried handing Beth her phone back. "She just wanted to find someone to love her, make her feel like she was special and loved and cared for, and give her all the feelings that her mom gave her, when she was alive. She told me her mom died of a brain aneurism," Santana said.

"Did she ever cope with that?" Beth asked kindly.

"I don't know, I didn't think to ask that question," Santana said kindly.

"It's alright love," Beth said gently and she wrapped her in a hug. "You my darling, are not in your right mind and that's okay. We still have time, but right now, you get to tell me what you want to do with that time," Beth told her.

"Berry. I have to make sure Rachel is okay," Santana said seriously and Beth nodded. Santana got to her phone and sent Rachel a text. _"We're all okay. When you finish work, come to the club." _

_"This doesn't sound good."_

_"It's all good, we just need to meet here figure out a game plan." _She put her phone away and looked at Beth. "Can I get dressed please Miss?" she asked.

"Yes my love. What would you like to do?" Beth asked.

"I need to figure out my plans for the evening. It's not smart for us to stay in our apartment. Terri showed up there, well we think she did, so we need to go somewhere else for the night, until we can secure our place," she said.

"You my dear are going to come home with me," she said and Santana went to say something. "No, absolutely not. You, Marley, Rachel, and what's the boy's name? I never remember," she said kindly.

"Lady Hummel?" Santana asked.

"Santana," Beth warned.

"Kurt," she said.

"Yes, Kurt, you, Rachel, Marley, and Kurt. Sleep over at Miss Beth's house tonight, until you can get good security system. No arguments," she told her sternly, "and I will be the one installing your security system. Part of my job is to make sure my staff is safe. I am going to be sure that you all are," Beth said and Santana decided to not say anything, she knew she would be told to be quiet anyway.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Kurt was at the club and Rachel smiled when she saw him, which immediately turned to a frown when she saw the backpacks. "What are these?" she asked as they signed in with security. "Hey Jack," she said.<p>

"You memorize everything, I swear to God," Kurt said and then smiled at Jack as well and then he let them go up, calling to Nicole to inform her they were on the way.

"What happened?" Rachel asked her kindly.

"Terri," Kurt said.

"Fuck," Rachel said simply and sadly.

"Now you sound like Santana. Do not bark at me," he ordered her, effectively barking at her.

"Woof," Rachel giggled and then wrapped Kurt in a tight hug. They stepped off the elevator and Nicole smiled at them.

"Good evening. I've been asked to take you into our small room and Miss Rivers will join you shortly," she said kindly and they nodded and went. They were in the room for forty seconds before Santana rushed in and hugged them both tightly, and they immediately knew that things were scaring her. This was not typical Santana behavior.

"What happened? Where's Marley?" Rachel asked kindly.

"She's in the nursery with Susan, and she's fine, and she doesn't know what's going on. However tonight, we're going to Miss Beth's house, until we can get a security system for our house, hence the emergency bags," Santana said and the three of them sat down on the floor, looking down at the paper Santana had in her hand. "Terri is back and she's looking for Marley, and we have reason to believe she applied here," she said.

"Marley doesn't get to know any of this," Rachel said quickly with a lot of definition in her voice.

"No, she doesn't. What she gets to know is that we're all, _all_, sleeping over at Miss Beth's house. I don't even get to say no. I tried," Santana told her.

"How do we tell her?" Kurt asked.

"I'm still working on that, and I'm open to ideas," Santana said honestly and Rachel reached over and took her hand, holding it gently, hoping to give her some kind of comfort or feeling of hope.

* * *

><p>Susan and Marley were cuddled up in the rocking chair when Marley realized she was ready for a drink. "Nanny. I firssy pee, I have gink?" she asked softly.<p>

"Of course baby girl. What would you like to drink? I think Mommy left you juice and Nanny has water as well," she told her kindly.

"Um, wah-ta pee," she said softly.

"Alright love, let's go get you a drink. Would you like to come with Nanny, or do you want to just watch from here?" she asked.

"I come," she told her and she crawled with Susan over toward the little fridge and her eyes lit up when she saw the bottles in the fridge. "Nanny?" she asked, blushing furiously. She wanted to ask this question. Nanny Susan made her feel safe. Where Nanny Susan worked, it was safe and Mommy Santana said she would be okay with anything, but she was still far too embarrassed to even ask.

"Yes my love?" Susan asked kneeling down and looking at Marley on her level, as she sat on the floor.

"Why dat not for me?" she asked pointing to a bottle that was labeled for Hailey.

"That is for one of the little girls I watch. I have lots of bottles if you would like to try one though," she offered her and there was no judgement in her voice. It was simply a choice, much like any of the choices that Santana, Rachel, or Kurt had ever given her. "Marley love, if you want to try water in a bottle I will make you one, but it's up to you."

"Wha if i' dun'nt wo'k," she said.

"You mean what if you don't get anything out of it?" Susan asked and Marley nodded, blushing harder. "Then I will get you a sippy cup, or a glass. It is totally your call my darling. Your Mommy has very specific rules for you and one of those rules is you get a say in your care. This is part of that and I will never go against your Mommy's rules, because that violates trust," Susan said.

"Bah-dah pee," Marley said, her face flushing so hard, Susan had to touch her cheek with the palm of her hand to make sure the poor girl could stay calm.

"You are definitely welcome to try sweetheart. Nanny will fix you the bottle right now," she said and then she put it together, screwed on the lid and handed the bottle to Marley. "Try it for a moment darling. If you want to stay with it, then we can, if you want a sippy cup or a glass, we can move to that too," she told her waiting for Marley to drink.

Marley tipped the bottle up and sucked hard, but then winced. It was too much power and her mouth, while healed, didn't like to work that hard anymore. "No fun Nanny," she pouted.

"That's alright baby," Susan said kindly holding out her hand for the bottle. Marley handed it over and then Susan smiled. "Do you want to try a proper sippy cup, or a regular glass?" she asked her.

"Cup pee," she said.

"Shall we get the pretty blue one with all the stars on it?" Susan smiled and Marley nodded happily. "Alright my love, here we go," Susan said and she pulled out the cup, filled it with water and then looked at Marley. "Lid or no lid?" she asked.

"Lid pee," Marley said softly. Susan smiled screwed the lid onto the cup and handed it to Marley.

"I'm very proud of you Marley, you're being a very good girl tonight," Susan praised her. "Should we go back to the little table and read some more? Or something else?" Susan asked.

"Um, Color?" Marley asked.

"We can color," Susan smiled. "Do you want color a nice picture for Mommy?" she offered. "Nanny has a lot more coloring books than she knows what to do with." Susan pulled out a stack of coloring books and brought them over to the kiddie table that Marley had managed to sit herself on. "Look through these honey, and I'll get you the crayons," Susan said. Marley thumbed through the stack of books and found one that was geared more toward boys. She saw Superman on the cover and tried to find something in the book. Her picture was going to be for her Mommy and Baby Marley thought her Mommy was her superhero.

* * *

><p>Santana, Kurt, and Rachel, sat in a little triangle on the floor, trying to come up with a game plan. "We've never lied to her before, about anything, we can't lie to her about this," Rachel offered.<p>

"I'm not comfortable telling her that Terri is back and looking for her. Marley runs. She's not good at running, so she tries as hard as she can to get away from whatever it is, even if it's us, and then her body locks up in spasm," Santana sighed.

"Couple that with the fact that we will be living in a new space for how long?" Kurt asked.

"Until Miss Beth fits our house with a security system," she said.

"We can't lie to her though. We can't just withhold information from her. We all know, that doesn't work," Rachel said.

"We also know telling her flips her the fuck out!" Santana snapped in frustration and Rachel backed down, holding her hands up in surrender.

"Look, I don't disagree with you, but we need to all be on the same page about this, and I really really really don't think not telling her something is the way to go here," Rachel said kindly.

"Okay, stop. Who is usually more receptive to upsetting information? Big girl Marley? Or little girl Marley?" Kurt asked seriously.

"It depends on how she's feeling. Usually, it's the toddler version. The three or four years old. That's where she's happiest. Although I have noticed that if you aren't around, she's a little bit older," Santana said looking directly at Kurt.

"She's got parental issues," Kurt shrugged. "Look, my point is, if we're all agreed that we have to do this together, then we have to tell her, together, and she has to understand, in whatever age she is, that we are doing this for her and not to torture her, then we have to say it to her in whatever age she is at the time. If she's two, we don't tell her that Terri is back and trying to find her. We tell her something in smaller words, something not so scary," Kurt said.

"Well we won't know that, until we see her for ourselves," Rachel said. "And we've seen her change from two, to nineteen in the blink of an eye. If she's scared, she's going to run, or at least want to."

"Which is not something I want Miss Beth to have to hear tonight at her house. I really don't want her to hear our little girl screaming in pain and begging for relief, and I'd really like it if she didn't hear any of us scolding Marley for poor behavior," Santana explained.

"Not to piss you off, or belabor a point, but that is not something we can easily do, and if she acts up, you know we have to 'punish' her for her transgressions. We have learned that the hard way," Rachel said kindly.

"Santana, I hate to say it, but I think that the only way we're going to be able to figure anything out is if we go see Marley for ourselves," Kurt said.

"Okay, then," Santana sighed and she took hold of both her room mates hands. "You stand behind me, whatever I say?" she asked and they both nodded. "Then we go see Marley, together, as her parents, and we tell her what it is happening, in some form of terminology that she is comfortable with, because that is what she needs," she said and she let go of them and carefully stood up. They both followed and took her hand.

"Somehow, we'll get it figured out, but before we go break her crazy, what I hope to be, happy bubble. I need to talk to Miss Beth and make sure Nicole is not in any trouble. I told her I would vouch for her, for whatever she needed. I made her break your time," Kurt said.

"Come with me," Santana said and she lead her friends and room mates over to Beth's office, knocking on the door, so that Kurt could explain to Beth what had happened.

Once he finished with his explanation, Beth smiled. "Thank you for your explanation Kurt," she smiled. "And now that that is all discussed and settled, I'd like to find out what the four of you need when you come to stay with me," Beth said.

"Need?" Rachel asked and Santana tapped her hip lightly.

"We don't need anything specific. None of us have food allergies. Marley is completely okay with eating whatever we cook," Santana said.

"Getting her to eat it, is a differently story," Kurt said with a smirk and Santana glared at him. "It's true," he said going on the defensive.

"Santana dear, my house, is not the club. You're all welcome to be relaxed and calm. I hope you will be. I know I won't be nearly as strict as I am here. Home is not where the mystery of the club happens. Home is where you are safe and can find serenity," she explained.

"Yes, well we aren't really sure as to how Marley is going to react and I do not want her, or my room mates to be rude to you," Santana said.

"We need basics though," Rachel said kindly.

"Kurt brought run bags, we're good for two days."

"Three, with pajamas," Kurt said and then looked at Beth. "I didn't know how long the system would take."

"My darlings, as far as I'm concerned, you'll be with me, until I am absolutely sure you're going to be kept safe. I think Terri is real and I think her being as close as she might be, is not safe. I want you, all of you, kept safe," Beth said seriously.

"Thank you Miss," Kurt said kindly.

"The three of you need to go be with Marley. I'm having a car service pick us up in an hour, will that work, or shall I make it later?" she asked.

"Check on us in thirty minutes please," Santana said and Beth nodded while she watched Santana take hold of both Kurt and Rachel's hand. She was definitely scared, but the fact that she was leaning on her friends for support, Beth decided to let it go.

"I shall see you shortly then," she smiled and watched as the three wandered down the hall to the nursery. "Oh my darlings," she sighed and then she paged the front desk. "Nicole my love, call the police please darling. I want to file a report, and please tell Jack that we need the security footage thirty minutes, before and after, from when Alexis Longo signed in please," she said.

* * *

><p>Santana knocked on the door and then let herself in. "MOMMY!" Marley cried happily when she saw her. Santana crossed the room quickly and wrapped Marley in a tight hug.<p>

"Hi baby girl," she smiled giving her a kiss to her temple, and then Marley sat back down next to Rachel who seated herself at the kiddie table, smiling at the picture that Marley had been coloring. Marley had colored a superman logo, but since she hadn't practiced coloring, it really did look like a three year old had done it. Most of the color was inside the lines, but there were a few areas where she had gone outside the lines. When she had been doing it, she started to get upset, but Susan had assured her, that her Mommy would love it no matter what. Then she showed her a few pictures that some of her other little ones had colored and Marley felt much better. One little boy, had just done scribbles across the entire page.

"Mama, I did, is pity?" she babbled softly checking to make sure that Susan's words had been true. She desperately needed to know that her family approved of her attempt.

"You did this baby girl? This is beautiful!" Rachel praised and she wrapped her arms around Marley, smiling as Marley snuggled into her. "You know what? We should hang this somewhere. Where do you think we should hang this?" she asked and she kept Marley engaged in conversation while Santana pulled Susan aside and explained things quietly to her.

Susan listened carefully to Santana's words and nodded her understanding. "She's been in a very young state of mind, all night. Around four or five, and she's content, but she's gotten younger the second the three of you walked in the room. You should take full advantage of that if you've decided to tell her that Terri is back and looking for her," Susan said.

"I don't want to tell her at all," she sighed.

"Papa, you he'p me?" Santana heard Marley ask him selecting a blue crayon. There were a lot of places where the blue could go, and she wanted it to be as perfect as possible.

"I'm telling you love, take the chance. She's been like this all night. She started to grow one time when she colored outside the lines, but I was able to convince her that you would be proud of her. Coloring is working really well for her. Tell her now, while she is surrounded by love, as she coloring," Susan encouraged.

Santana took a very deep breath and moved back over to the table. "Mommy," Marley smiled.

"Hi baby girl, what are you coloring over there?" Santana asked.

"Super," Marley said.

"Superman? Well you've done a very good job. I'm very proud of you. Did you have a good time with Nanny?"

"Yeps. We color an I try bottle, but no more pee, an Nanny read-ed me a s'ory," she babbled softly.

"You had quite the evening. I have a question for you," she said and Marley looked up at her happily. "Would you like to maybe have some more fun tonight?" Santana asked and Marley immediately dropped her crayon and looked afraid, pressing her body into Rachel.

Kurt scooted in closer and helped support Marley's body while Santana leaned across the table and carefully took Marley's hands. Santana saw the mood shift and immediately changed tactics. "Okay, first thing first. Who here is one hundred percent committed to keeping Marley safe?" she asked with a smile.

"I am," Rachel and Kurt said at the same time. There was no hesitation in their answer, and Santana smiled.

"I am too," Santana said. "And right now, I promise you, that our little adventure now is to keep you safe," she said.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered, getting scared by what she was hearing. "Bad fings Mommy, I no bad, I sorry," she cried.

"Shhh, no Marley, you are not bad. You are a very good, smart, beautiful girl, and we all love you very much," Santana said quickly.

"Shhh, listen to Mommy sweetheart. Listen to what she's saying, listen to what Mama and I are saying. You are not a bad girl, and you didn't do anything wrong. We love you, and we want to protect you. There's just something that's happened that makes our house not the safest it can be at the moment," Kurt said and Marley cried but leaned into Rachel and softly asked why.

"You know how you colored this superman logo baby?" Rachel asked her gently. "We have to make our house is superman protected it," Rachel tried. "And in order to do that we have to let professional people go into the house, make it very safe, leave, and then we can go back."

"No, I no leave, I good, I didn't be bad, I good, I good, I good," she pleaded getting very worked up very fast.

"Marley baby, listen to Mommy," Santana said and she carefully took Marley's hands in hers.

"I good Mommy," she cried.

"Yes you are baby," she said and Marley started trembling, her body starting to spasm a little bit.

"No Terri, no bad, no away, Mommy pee," she begged and Santana felt her heart break. She didn't know how Marley knew, but they all knew Marley was smart, so it wasn't so far fetched that she would know. "I good Mommy, I good, pee," she begged.

"Shhh," Rachel said gently shifting a bit to hold Marley in a much more comfortable position. "You are a very good girl Marley and I want to ask you something. Do you remember what Mommy said? Do you remember who all is going on this adventure?" Rachel asked and Marley cried harder. This was how this was going to happen. They were going to leave her somewhere so they didn't have to deal with her anymore.

"Mommy, pee," she said, trembling violently and Rachel looked at Santana.

Santana stood up and walked over to Marley. "Come here baby," she said trying to pull her up to her feet, but Marley screamed in fear, wet herself, and started to convulse. Kurt pushed himself back and Santana scooted in. She got very close so she and Rachel could keep Marley tight between them while Kurt moved over to Susan.

"Where is her pacifier Miss?" he asked kindly. Susan went over to the small back pack on the counter and fished it out of the pocket and handed it to him. "Thank you," he said and he went back over to the girls. Marley was leaning back into Rachel crying hard while Santana stayed close against her trying to get her to at least regulate her breathing if nothing else. They didn't want her to throw up. Kurt sat down at their feet and carefully put Marley's pacifier in her hand. "This is for you baby girl," he said. "Look at Papa, look at your hand," he coached her and she trembled between them, it was just so much to feel at the moment. "We're right here honey. Mama is holding you, Mommy is in front of you, and Papa is right next to you. You're okay. You're safe with your family," Kurt told her.

"Terri," she whimpered.

"Yes baby, yes," Rachel told her gently carefully putting her cool hand on Marley's forehead as Marley let her weight fall backward into Rachel. Rachel pet her face gently and spoke softly. "Yes, scary things are happening right now, but Mommy and Papa and I would never, ever, ever let something bad happen to you on purpose. Mommy Santana would go all Lima Heights on whoever caused her baby any harm, and that most definitely includes Mama Rae and Papa Kurt," Rachel said.

"Are you focused my love? Can Mommy explain what is going to happen?" Santana asked and Marley hiccuped and nodded tearfully. "Alright my love, listen closely. Terri, unfortunately, is out and about, and looking for you. So in order to be safe, Mama, Papa, Mommy, and Marley are all going to live with Miss Beth for a while, do you want to know why?" she asked.

"Mommy," Marley cried and she struggled to lean forward, holding tight to Santana and shaking. She couldn't be left alone. That would be too hard. Too much to handle. She wasn't even sure how she was going to handle this. They couldn't leave her. She wouldn't be able to survive it, and yet they were. They were sitting there, as calm as could be, and telling her they were leaving her with Miss Beth.

"Okay, okay," Santana said and she pulled her close and shifted them around looking at Susan with fear and sadness in her eyes.

"You did the right thing Santana. You are doing the right thing. She needs to know what's happening before it does," Susan said.

"But she's not listening, so Santana is freaking out," Kurt said kindly and he moved to Santana's right side and hugged her. "You can't complain. Your, excuse me, our baby girl, needs her Mommy, and her Mommy needs support, so don't complain. The more you relax, the more she relaxes, and I'm tired of carrying run bags, so I'll cuddle the two of you while Mama deals with run bags," he said and both Santana and Rachel smirked at Kurt's attempt of humor to help ease the tension.

Santana held Marley close and was relieved when Marley put her head on Santana's shoulder. She waited for a minute and then looked to Kurt. "One of you or both of you need to tell her the game plan while she rests on me, and you have to know that she knows who is holding her. We'll say it fifty times if we have to, but it has to sink in. She has to understand, before we leave, and we only have half an hour."

"You know Beth will give you more time my love," Susan said from her spot near the high chair as she cleaned it.

"I just want to get my sweet girl, bathed and into pajamas, and into bed. It's what she needs more than anything," Santana said kindly.


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello everyone!**

**Bonus update - for 2 reasons. First, I just feel like it might be a nice thing to do and secondly, I received 2 lovely PM's recently. Both of the reviewers were extremely kind and generous and showed such a true love for something I created. Not to say that all of you who've reviewed haven't, but it was just expressed so wonderfully to me, that they helped boost my confidence a little bit more.**

**Warnings: Marley recounts some of her story. Parts that you're not aware of. How she came to live with Terri. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVVY warnings. READ carefully! Take breaks if you have to, because I am fairly sure that some of my readers will trigger quite easily and I'd hate to be the reason for someone having a bad memory relived, or a panic attack, or what have you. BE CAREFUL my friends!**

**Appreciation: Nayafan, UnholyUnderBoob, Beaner008 for their encouragement. All my readers. All my reviewers. All the people who sent me a PM telling me what they thought and encouraging me even further to keep going. **

**Happy Thursday everyone!**

**BONUS NOTE: It was brought to my attention that something may be misunderstood, so I'm going to post this now, so that if anyone else feels this way, it is, HOPEFULLY, a bit more clear. Ryder is telling her, don't do what HE thinks is the right thing, just because HE thinks it's the right thing. He's giving Marley a choice. He's letting her make her own decision. I went back and read it, it's a punctuation issue on my point. it shouldn't be a comma, it should be a semicolon. I 100000% promise you that when I wrote that, it was meant to be read as Ryder giving Marley the choice to make her own decision based on what she wanted, not what she though he wanted her to say. I hope this makes sense now, because it was brought to my attention that it didn't read that way!**

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><p>The car ride over was very tense. Marley was glued to Santana's chest and it took some doing to get her out of the car. Kurt and Rachel moved with Santana who was simply following Beth. They got into the elevator, taking it to the penthouse where Beth lived. She did very well for herself and made sure that she had a comfortable living situation. "What do you need Santana?" she asked her.<p>

"We need to get Marley ready for bed. She needs a shower or possibly a bath, but mostly she just needs sleep," Santana said.

"Mommy," Marley squealed softly.

"Shhh, I'm right here baby girl. We're going to go into the bathroom and we're going to get ready for bed," she told her gently and Beth directed them to the bathroom so they could take care of things before she showed Rachel and Kurt, where they could wait.

The two curled up on the couch in the sitting room and Rachel looked around. She was trying to remain calm and take in her surroundings, but Kurt saw the wheels turning in her head. "Want to talk about it?" he asked and she shook her head and brushed away her tears. She wasn't exactly sure why she was crying though. Perhaps it was just stress.

She only remained silent for a moment while Kurt ran his fingers through her hair. He knew she was going to open up any second. "I thought it was getting better. I thought that we were on the road to recovery. I thought that she would be safe, that Marley would get better and decide what she wanted with her life, whether it was with us or on her own, and Terri would just be some horrible bad dream that she could heal from and escape, ya know? Come out better on the other side. See that she could live through torture, and then heal properly," Rachel said pausing.

"And now?" he asked her.

"Now I'm scared for her health and safety. I want to know why Terri is looking for her. I want to hurt her, the way I have _never_ wanted to hurt anyone before in my life, and that includes every day in high school when we were bullied and made to feel less than we were," Rachel said.

"Well," Kurt sighed, "I can't answer any of your questions. The only one who can do that is Terri, and I don't think she's into talking at the moment."

"She sure is into torturing though," Rachel said.

"And badly," Kurt said softly. "You didn't see her at our house, I did. She was very determined to find her. More than I would have thought possible, which makes no sense, because from what we know, she never actually cared for Marley, Marley was just her whipping boy," Kurt said and he wasn't at all surprised when Rachel fell into him, needing cuddle time of her own. It always made her heart ache when Marley was this upset. It was even worse, when she thought she was the cause of it.

"Were you scared?" she sniffled after a moment.

"When?" he asked running his fingers through her hair, to help calm her.

"When you saw her. Was she scary looking?" she asked.

"Sadly, she was actually really striking. She had high cheekbones, ruby red lips, her hair was in these soft waves, and her eyes were brilliantly green. Although I think she was wearing contacts if you ask me. Not many people have eyes like that," he said.

"How can anyone torture Marley though? How can that be something that doesn't tear you apart? I know for a fact she's safe with Santana, and fifty feet away from me, and I can't keep it together. My heart is breaking for _our_ little girl."

"That's the difference my dear," Beth said appearing from another room with a large glass of water and some tylenol for their forming headaches. "It's tylenol and water," she said setting it down on the glass table near the couch. "Terri doesn't look at Marley as an adorable little girl, or even a person with feelings, she looks at her as a sex object."

"She's a person though," Rachel said.

"You see her that way because your brain recognizes the difference between right and wrong. You have sexual urges, just like every other living thing on the planet, but you realize that there is emotion connected to it. Terri, doesn't see it that way. She's taken out all the emotion, so to her, she's just getting off from seeing and "experiencing" things through someone else's eyes and she doesn't care about the feelings attached to those experiences."

"How is that possible though. How can someone be so detached? How can she look at bruises and welts and not understand the pain that she herself inflicted," Kurt said as he pet Rachel's hair, since she was crying softly as she laid against him.

"What he said," Rachel hiccuped and Beth smiled.

"The brain is a very indescribable thing my darlings. I can't answer those questions for you. What I can do however is promise you that I will help you keep your promise to Marley. You all promised to keep her safe, and until I am sure that your house will be a safe place for her, you will remain here where I know without a doubt that you will be safe," Beth said.

"Thank you for helping us," Rachel said quickly. She wanted to be polite, and she'd heard Beth's words, but all she could think about was Marley, who was in the other room wailing in fear. It was a sound they knew well. Rachel turned and looked at Kurt. "Did you pack, Teddy Bear and Panda for her?" she asked.

"I did," he said.

"Good," she said and she carefully rolled onto her belly, pushed back on her heels and kissed Kurt's cheek. "You're a wonderful Papa," she told him.

"I try," he smiled and he watched as Rachel got off the couch and went over to the run bag, pulled out teddy bear and took a few deep breaths before going into the bathroom.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is all this noise?" she asked kindly, taking a seat on the floor just outside the tub and looking at Santana and Marley, who were both naked and soaked from head to toe. "Sorry," she told Santana.

"I can't even care at this point. I just want her to calm down," Santana said honestly.

"Is she clean?" she asked and Santana nodded. "Okay then baby girl, time to dry up and sit with Mama," she told her and together they helped Marley to move out of the tub, wrap up in a towel and Rachel gathered her in her arms, keeping a tight grip on her while Santana took a quick rinse off, got out of the tub and got herself ready for bed. "Look baby, look. Look what Mama has? We brought Teddy Bear with us and I saw Panda out in the other room. Panda is sitting with Papa and waiting for us to join them," Rachel said gently and Marley started to cough and gag. Rachel pulled her even tighter and began to rock her gently while singing some nonsense tune that was running through her head, that she didn't know all the words to.

It had worked though and Marley was at least calm by the time Rachel finished singing and Santana was out of the tub. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut though and she was wrinkling her forehead to try and keep the headache from coming. "Come on my princess. We're going to let Mama and Papa get ready for bed before they come to join us in the big bed, but in the meantime you and I are going to go cuddle on the couch.

"No go Mommy," she whimpered.

"Mommy isn't leaving you baby, not even for a second. It's you and Mommy and Mama and Papa. All in one big bed tonight," she told her.

"We're all going to fit?" Rachel asked.

"We were given the guest bedroom with the king sized bed. I was told where we would be, before we got here," Santana said as they helped Marley to stand up and then Santana held her tight, happy when Marley's head went to her shoulder. She wanted her baby girl to take in all the normal comforts she was used to. She stood with her and swayed slightly, gently rubbing Marley's back. "Do not fall apart on me Berry," Santana said seeing the struggle Rachel was having. She need her to stay together though, because if Rachel lost it, Santana was going to lose it too.

"Stop ordering me around," Rachel said and she moved in close and kissed Marley's cheek and then Santana's. "I know we have to be safe. I know we are safe here, but I thought we were safe at home and now it's driving me crazy that, yet again, Marley's world is getting turned upside down," Rachel said.

"It drives me crazy too, but the good news is, we can and will make our house safe. We'll only be here a few days, and Miss Beth will help us figure out how we can get Terri arrested and in jail, without stressing out Marley any further," Santana said.

Rachel nodded and kissed Marley again, rubbing her back and smiling when she watched as heavy swollen lids began to droop closed. "Kurt is in the sitting room, waiting for the two of you, I think. Miss Beth also left us all some water and tylenol if we want it. I'll be out shortly," she said.

"Come on baby girl, we'll go and cuddle with Papa okay?" Santana cooed softly and Marley let out a soft whimper. "It's alright baby. We're just going to be with more family. Cuddle time for Marley," Santana cooed gently.

They made it to the couch and Marley looked at the tall glass of water on the coffee table as well as the little tablets near it. She pressed herself into Santana's side and Beth handed Kurt the remote. "You know what tv works better than I do," she told him.

"What do you say baby girl, what should we watch?" Kurt asked her gently and she didn't answer him, but he saw her vision was focused toward the television. He looked around and then smiled. "Marley baby, look at Papa. This," he said picking up a small white pill. "is tylenol. Miss Beth got us each a pill and some water, because Mama and I have a headache. We're pretty sure Mommy has one too, and if you want one to get rid of a headache, you can take one too," he said and then he took the pill in front of her. He wanted her to see what would happen.

Santana pet Marley's hair and while they talked, she squinted at the tv and tried to find something she knew Marley liked. Pitch Perfect was on, so she put that on, and then looked at Kurt. "I want one please," she said holding out her free hand. He put the white pill in it, Santana swallowed it dry, and then chased it with some of the water.

"Mommy?" Marley whispered craning her neck to look up at Santana. She was squashed down impossibly small it seemed and Beth was concerned she was going to give herself muscle cramps.

"What's up baby?"

"Mama?" she asked.

"Mama is getting ready for bed. As soon as she takes a shower, she's going to come join us and then Papa is going to shower and come join us, and when the movie is over, the four of us will go to bed. I promise you baby, Miss Beth has a very safe house. We do however understand how scared you are, so we aren't leaving you alone," Santana told her.

"Mommy?" she asked again.

"Yes?"

"I have?" she asked pointing to the little white tylenol pill.

* * *

><p>Beth's phone went off at three in the morning and she groggily answered. "Beth this is Officer Morris, Ryder," he said.<p>

"Ryder, thank you for calling, but why at this time?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Beth, but we've arrested someone for public distraction, and you'll never guess where and why."

"It's late. Just tell me."

"One miss Terri Swanson, for causing a public distraction in Bushwick, looking for one miss Marley Rose," he said.

"Can you hold her? What do we have to do? Or rather what do I have to do or say to get that very Miss Marley Rose to say, in order to get Terri locked up," she said suddenly very awake and ready to do whatever it took to keep her current charges safe.

"Marley needs to come down and tell her story. I will record it and give it to the judge, but we are on a clock," he said.

"It's three in the morning and Marley is, at least I'm willing to bet, less than willing to even utter a noise of any kind," she said.

"I can hold her for a few hours, but it's now or never Beth. I'm not going to pretend I know exactly what is going on, but you need to say or do whatever you can in order to get her here and tell her story," Ryder said.

"I'll try," Beth sighed and she carefully stood up and went to the guest bedroom. She looked in on the four sleeping forms in the bed, smiling when she saw how tight and protective the three of them were to Marley and also each other. Marley was in the center of the bed, lying on her right side, her back pressed into Santana's front. Rachel was on her left side, facing Marley, her one hand above her head, her fingers laced in with both Kurt and Santana's fingers, her other hand draped lightly on Marley's body. Behind Rachel was Kurt and his other arm was draped over Rachel's body, his fingers lacing in with Rachel's, Santana's, and Marley's. Beth was proud and also discouraged. She didn't think it would be a good idea if she were to wake them and tell them what was going on.

She moved over behind Santana and rubbed her back firmly, but lovingly. "Santana my darling, it's Beth," she said softly. She was not aware that Marley was now awake. Fear took over Marley's body. This was it, this was how it was going to happen. Beth was going to take Santana away, and as soon as she did, Beth would be the next person to come after her. Beth would just be another person to hurt her, why shouldn't she? Beth was Santana's boss and Marley had been the sole reason Santana had missed so much work. She wet herself in fear and her body went rigid, which was what woke Santana from her sleep.

"Marley, you're okay, Mommy's right here," she said softly and Beth smiled.

"Santana love, we need to talk," Beth said seriously.

Santana groaned and tried to roll over but Marley squealed and started to cry. "Shhh, it's just me baby, you're okay. I need to roll over," she said and Marley started to cry louder, waking Kurt and Rachel.

"What happened?" Kurt mumbled and Santana sighed.

"Santana honey, we have to talk," Beth said and Marley let out a very loud scream.

"I'm up, I'm up, go talk," Rachel said quickly. "Come on baby girl. Mama will take you to the bathroom and then the kitchen and we're going to get you something to eat and then we're going to calm down," Rachel said kindly.

"You don't know where anything is," Kurt said. "I'm going with them," he said and the two got out of bed and took Marley with them.

"I mean this respectfully. This had better be good," Santana said, sitting up and turning on the bedside lamp.

"I'll jump right to it. They found Terri," she said and Santana went to speak. "No, let me finish. They found her outside your apartment, and she was causing a public disturbance. I have a friend on the police force. They can hold her for three hours. That's all we have Santana. Three hours, to go down there, and have Marley tell her story, so that Terri can be put behind bars for a very long time, for what she did to Marley." Beth stopped talking and waited for Santana to say something. When she didn't, Beth smiled. "I'm done now," she said.

"Oh my Goooooood," Santana groaned falling forward and covering her face. "This is going to traumatize her even further," she said and she threw back the covers and went toward her screaming little girl and room mates.

"Okay, that's enough," Santana announced walking into the kitchen, and Marley stood up, reaching for her, nearly falling over and Santana quickly caught her and held her tight. "You two stay," she said to Kurt and Rachel and looked to Beth. "Three hours from when?" she asked Beth as she held Marley steady on her feet, rubbing her back and petting her hair gently.

"Ten minutes ago," Beth said kindly.

"Okay baby girl. Let's talk," Santana said and she sat down at the table and pulled Marley into her lap. "Calm down and breathe my sweet girl. As soon as you are calm, we have to talk. This is incredibly important, so I need you to be on you best listening behavior," she said.

It took some doing but Marley worked to calm herself, seemingly understanding that this was more than a serious situation. "Good baby, very good," Santana told her and carefully, slowly and gently took Marley's face in her hands, staring her in the eyes, trying to gauge her emotional state at the moment. "Okay baby, so here's the deal, you tell me first, then I tell you. Who is in this house, with you, right now?" Santana asked.

"Mommy, Mama, Papa an' Miss Beth," she said softly.

"Good girl, and who made you need a Mommy, Mama, and Papa? Who did terribly cruel things to you?" Santana asked her and Rachel took Kurt's hand. This could go very badly, very quickly.

"T.t.t.t.t.t. err... ," she stuttered.

"Yes, very good. Now what if I told you, that you have the chance, right now, to fix all of that. What if, you could go down and talk to a nice police officer, with Mommy, and Mama, and Papa, and put Terri, the very bad lady and bully behind bars, so she couldn't hurt you ever again and you would be completely safe. Do you think you could do that?" Santana asked and Marley searched Santana's eyes.

"How?" she asked after a long moment.

"Miss Beth has a friend who is a police officer. They are holding Terri down at the police station and if we all go, right now, and you tell your story, then they can keep Terri locked up and kept away in a prison, so she can never hurt you, or anyone else, ever again," Santana told her and Marley looked at her, tears instantly falling and Santana was convinced a no was coming.

"I go," Marley told her. The silence was Marley searching for truth. She was trying to find some bit of extra truth and honesty in Santana's words. She was afraid though. Santana's words were about getting rid of Terri, which was a good thing. Nothing had been said about getting rid of Marley. Nothing had been said about keeping her either, but what she did hear, loud and clear, was that Terri wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else, and that was really important to Marley. She had the power, right now, to do something grown up, and protect a lot of people.

"You will?" Santana asked wanting to be completely sure and Marley nodded. "Good, and then as soon as you are done, we are all going to come back here, and go to bed, because I don't know about you, but Mommy is so tired. Shall we get dressed and you can sleep in the car ride over?" Santana asked and Marley nodded again.

Everyone stood up and got dressed to leave at this ridiculous hour of the morning. Beth was on the phone with the precinct trying to find out who would be doing Marley's interview and prepare them for what might happen. No one was completely sure what age space Marley was in and they didn't know what space she would be comfortable in when she told her story. What everyone did know was that she had to and more importantly seemed to _want_ to tell her story.

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><p>On the way over, Marley was incredibly quiet. She couldn't sleep, but she couldn't stop thinking and just rest either. She was thinking of how to tell her story without Santana, Rachel, or Kurt in the room. Telling her full story without them would be much easier. She really didn't want to be on her own, but it would be easier to tell the story if they weren't there. They didn't deserve to hear such awful things, and Marley knew deep down if she told her story, then Terri would go away and never be able to hurt anyone, ever again. In her head she saw herself telling the story to an officer who was going to protect her, and she was all by herself. It was just the two of them. She could protect Santana, Rachel, and Kurt. They had protected her for the past few months, so she decided it was time to repay the favor.<p>

She'd been trying to figure out how she was going to get into the room and finally decided she had to ask. "Mommy?" she said softly.

"Yes baby?"

"Miss Beth safe?" she asked, her eyes full of fear and yet Santana saw a glimmer of hope. Her baby was trying to be a big girl, hopefully because that was what she wanted in that moment, but Santana was never sure if Marley did things to prove she could do them to herself, or to prove it to Santana.

"Yes my love. Miss Beth, is very safe. It's part of the reason that we are all staying at her house. She's having our house fitted with a security system. When she thought that Terri might be around, she told us it was time to come stay with her. She wanted to make sure we were all safe, which makes her a very safe person," Santana said and Marley nodded her agreement, snuggling into Santana. Her head went to Santana's shoulder immediately and she knew what had to be done. This was it, it had been decided, Marley would go in with her whole family, but if she had to have an adult in the room, it was going to be Miss Beth. She couldn't tell the entire awful story to Santana, Rachel, and Kurt. It would be too much for them. Protecting them was the very least she could do. It never dawned on her, it might actually help them to know her entire terrible ordeal.

What she didn't like, was that she was going to have to be a big girl, and that was tiring at times. Big girl Marley had to behave and talk and think and constantly look over her shoulder and wonder what her life was going to be like once Santana finally got rid of her. Baby girl Marley had those same thoughts, but she was much more easily calmed.

The car pulled up to the police station and Kurt went to get out of the car, but Beth put her hand on his knee to stop him. "Hold on," she said kindly pulling out her cell phone and making a call. "Yes, we're here and I want an escort. Five people," she said and then she hung up. "Marley honey. I am doing everything I can to keep all of us safe. We're going to be escorted into the building. After that you and Mommy are going to go into a little room and you're just going to tell the nice officer, who is my friend Mr. Ryder, what your story is. I've had paperwork from the hospital faxed over already, in case this ever happened," Beth explained.

"No, Mommy no help me," she said looking at Santana with fear.

"Did you change your mind honey? I won't force you," she told her.

"No, I tell, but no Mommy. Not in the room," she said.

"Alright sweetheart, if you really don't want me in the room, I won't stay. Do you want anyone in the room with you?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. "Do you know that you have to be a big girl for Mr. Ryder?" Santana asked her gently and Marley nodded.

"Can I have my pacifier in my hand?" she asked.

"Yes you can," Beth said quickly. "I've talked to Mr. Ryder honey, and you are allowed to have anyone in the room with you, that you want, while you tell the story," Beth said while Rachel dug through her small bag and fished out one of Marley's pacifiers. Marley leaned over and kissed Rachel's cheek, squeezed the pacifier as tightly as she could and then was helped out of the car once the officers were there to escort her.

"Are you sure you don't want anyone with you sweetheart?" Santana asked one last time before Marley was taken into the little conference room.

"Yes," she said and Santana heard it in her voice. Marley was fully a big girl and about to tell her full story, of whatever she remembered to this complete stranger and while Santana was extremely proud of her, she was terrified for Marley to have to relive the memories. "Can I at least walk you into the room?" Santana asked and Marley nodded.

"Mama an Papa too, please," she said softly.

They all nodded and carefully helped Marley into her little conference room where Ryder was already waiting for her. She liked how he looked, but decided that she was going to disgust him with her story, so she shouldn't get attached. She was going to protect her family, the many strangers that Terri could possibly hurt, and her own heart. As cute as he was, he would never want her. They sat her down at the table and Santana stood on her left side, rubbing her back, while Kurt and Rachel kissed her cheek, told her to be brave, reminded her they loved her, and then moved to the door to wait for Santana.

"I can stay if you want," she told her, and although Marley nodded, she was only nodding her understanding. "Do you want me to?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. Santana nodded and turned to look at Ryder. "If you do anything at all to hurt her or upset her, I will be on top of you so fast, you won't know what hit you."

"Santana, you can not insult a police officer!" Rachel scolded from the doorway. "Let's go. Marley will tell her story and then we will all go home!" she said. It was the most strength Santana or Kurt had ever heard in Rachel's voice to date.

Kurt, Santana, and Rachel were moved into a separate room and told they could sit down at the table. Santana moved into the far corner of the room, and sat on the floor. Kurt and Rachel followed suit, taking a seat on either side of her and cuddling in tight. "Do you want to cry?" Rachel asked seeing Santana shaking.

"Not yet," Santana said.

"Well I do, so we should get it out now, because I have a feeling that once Marley is done, we're going to have our baby girl, for a very long time," Kurt said.

"I will take any part of her that she wants to give to us," Santana said seriously. Kurt and Rachel nodded, laying their heads on her shoulder and waiting for Beth to tell them when they could be back with Marley.

"I just want to hold her," Rachel said.

"Me too," Santana and Kurt said at the same time and then they fell into silence.

"Why do you think she didn't want us with her?" Kurt asked.

"She's embarrassed. If we're there then she can be her younger self, but they won't listen to that and she knows that. She has to be her older self, and not having us there is how she's going to do that," Santana said.

"You really believe that?" Kurt asked kindly.

"It's what I'm forcing myself to believe," Santana said.

* * *

><p>Marley sat in the chair quietly for a moment and Ryder waited until they were alone. "Is there anything special you want to know before we start?" he asked her.<p>

"I heard I was on a clock," Marley said.

"You were, but you're here now, which means that clock has been extended. Nothing happens until you tell us whatever it is you want to tell us," he told her.

"I have a story."

"My captain read over your hospital reports and then passed them on to me. You have quite the story," he told her.

"That file isn't everything," she said simply. Her entire body was void of emotion at the moment. She looked a little bit like a robot, but Ryder had seen many rape and abuse victims in the past, so he knew this was something that could happen.

"Well, that's why you're here, to fill in the gaps. I can either coach you through it asking you questions, or you can just tell your story. It's your call right now," he told her.

"I want to tell it," she told him.

"Alright, well this tape recorder here, will help us with that. In case this goes to trial, this tape means you will most likely not have to appear in court. Before you tell your story, I'm going to ask you basic questions. Then I will nod at you and you will be able to start your story," he told her and she nodded. Today is April 25, 2014. It is four am. Will you state your name for the record please?"

"Marley Abigail Rose," she said.

"How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen. My birthday is May 7, 1994."

"And why are you here at the police station?"

"I have a story to tell about Terri Swanson." Marley took a deep breath and started her story. "I answered an ad. It was in some weird random bondage magazine that my college roommate had at the time. I answered the ad on a Tuesday."

"Do you remember what the ad said?" Ryder asked. He really wanted to get as much information as he could on tape, because having it on tape, meant the chances of her having to appear in court went down.

"If you are looking for a loving, nurturing, woman to be your on again off again mother, please respond to this ad. I'm looking for a little boy or girl who I can dote on. I expect them to do as they are told without question and any disobedience will be met with an appropriate punishment. I am a loving woman without a child and I'm far too selfish to have an actual baby. I love sex too much. If you are the right little boy or girl for this mother please email me as soon as possible so that we can discuss the details. I don't remember the email that was listed."

"Why did you want to answer the ad?"

"When I was younger, my mother died from a random aneurism, and ever since, I've just wanted to have her back. The feelings that my mother gave me. She always made me feel loved, and special and important and I missed having that. I thought answering this ad, meant I could get those feelings back. To have a mother figure remind me how wonderful I was, hug me, cuddle me, take care of me just like my mother used to, I thought that would be very nice. I just missed my mom, and I thought this would be a good way to get a small part of it back. Almost like she'd see me from heaven and remind me she was still watching over me," Marley explained.

"What day did you answer the ad?"

"December 29th, 2013," she answered.

"What day did you meet Terri Swanson?"

"I was at her apartment on the next Friday, January 4, 2014. I thought four was going to be a lucky number. My mother was born on the fourth of June, so I thought it was a good sign. I showed up at her apartment, somewhere uptown. I think it was 116th Street. I remember having to get directions and take a few busses to get there. I remember the email she sent me for directions was very clear and specific. I liked that she seemed to be taking every precaution to make sure I was there safe and on time. I had no other frame of reference for her, and my own mother was one of those moms who made sure her kid was well prepared. I took all the right busses and a taxi cab, showing up to her apartment building, and I remember my stomach dropped a bit. It was a run down area to me and I remember thinking I didn't feel safe from that very first moment."

"Why did you continue?"

"I'd been raised to follow through with my commitments and I had committed to meeting her to start. I wasn't going to go back on that. The email had said if it didn't work out, we could just call the whole thing a draw and be done." Marley closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Do you have the email saved anywhere?" he asked.

"Yes I do. I think I do anyway. I don't know what she did with my stuff, or where my laptop is, but I remember my password. I'm sure there are a billion spam things to look for. Do you need all that information?"

"Not at this moment, you can continue your story," he told her kindly.

"I walked up five very large stairs and rang the bell for her apartment. She let me in and honestly she looked pretty. She looked nice and polite. Her hair was done, her make up was done, and everything was very calm. She offered me a cup of tea and we sat and talked and she asked me different questions. Nothing struck me as odd, but I did get sleepy very quickly. I don't know if she did or not, but I feel like the tea was laced with something. I remember sitting up on the couch talking to her and then the next thing I remember is waking up in a room, strapped down to a table. There was a very heavy bar placed along here," she said indicating her midsection.

"For the record Marley will you please describe where 'here' is?" Ryder asked and he pointed to the tape.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry, my ribs. It was heavy and white. It came down across my lower ribs. She told me it was to keep her baby safe while she changed her. She had on a terribly sweet voice, but it wasn't nice. It just gave me the creeps. I really wanted to leave, but that bar was super heavy. I did try to struggle once, but she stopped me. She said that if I wiggled around too much I might break a rib and she didn't want her lovely baby girl to get injured on her very first day in her new life. I didn't want a new life at that point, but I was too scared to say anything. I knew in that moment, when I woke up that everything was wrong and that I had made a big mistake. I thought if I just played her game though, everything would be okay. Maybe she'd get bored and let me go.

I was kept in place with that stupid bar and my eyes were eventually covered. I didn't see day light for the next few days. I really don't know how long I was there. One day began blending into the next. I have so many stories that I could tell, but I don't know which ones you need the most," she told him honestly.

"What is the one story you remember the most?"

"All of them."

"Start with the one you remember the clearest."

"I don't know how long I was there, but every day was the same. I was fed, but only a little bit. It was either always too hot, or freezing cold. I was never told and I would have to guess. If I saw steam I would try to prepare myself, but I never really could. It was either just hot enough for me to burn my mouth, or it would burn all the way down my throat and if I didn't swallow fast enough she'd shovel in more. It was usually too much and I would spit out most of what I couldn't swallow fast enough. My cheeks, lips, and chin, usually had burn marks on them. If she saw them, she'd make the food cold, or just not heat it up, but only if she saw them. It usually took a couple of days for the burns to show up and she would never clean my face. It was always just there and when I tried to wipe it off, it would make my clothes dirty, and that always got me punished as she called it."

"Was it the same thing every time?"

"For that, yes. I don't know what exactly she used. Something large and sort of square shaped, but she'd smack my palms ten times with it and I had to count every smack. Then she'd turn my hands over and smack the backs of them," Marley said and she finally started to cry. Reliving all of this was much more painful that she had anticipated and while she tried to stay detached, she couldn't manage anymore.

"Marley if you are struggling for breath, we can pause and get you some water," Ryder offered.

"No, if I don't do this now, I won't do it at all. She can't be allowed to hurt anyone else and you said I'm not on a clock anymore," Marley insisted, tears flowing freely as anger bubbled slightly inside her. Ryder nodded and told her she could continue when she was ready. "I don't know what else to tell you about. What holes do you need filled in, with the file that you already have?" she asked.

"The hospital documents say that you had a lot of muscular trauma to your," he started but paused for a moment and Marley was suddenly filled with pure rage.

"My what?" she asked bitterly. "My ass, my cunt, my fuck holes? Go on, say it, call it what ever you want. She did and so did the many men who raped me. No one cared that I was supposed to be someone's little girl. No one should ever do anything like that to a little girl. No one would do that to a woman. Yes, I am nineteen. I am of legal age, but when someone shoves something into your body, against your will, no matter how old you are that is rape, and I was raped, violently sometimes. I can't tell you how many 'Daddies' she got for me. I know it hurt every time. I know she didn't care. If she had, she might have made me at least a little bit aroused, or at least tried to get me that way. Instead she put me on birth control so that I never bled, she shoved, what I later found out to be an enema in me, every day, several times a day, spanked my bare ass with whatever she had near by, and never cared that the "Daddies" she'd found for me, didn't care about me. They took me anyway they could. They were just as vicious as she was, although I still think she was worse," Marley said and she paused to catch her breath. Her tears had stopped. She was feeling nothing but rage at the moment. She was angry and she had every right to be.

"I only remember three men, but she never let me see them, so there could have been more. Three voices I remember though. I never learned a name. I knew the guy who liked to take me from behind. I knew the guy who didn't care if I was wet or not, I was just tight for him, and he loved it, so he always plowed into me, and I remember the guy who liked me to suck on him. He came over my hair once and then she got rid of him after that. I remember wishing he would come back, because it was the first time in I don't know how long that I actually had gotten a shower. It was for those few moments that I was left to clean up myself, by myself, and it just felt nice to have some of my independence back, even if I knew it was going to be taken away again."

"This is a lot to talk about Marley, so I'm going to remind you again that if you'd like to take a break, we can," Ryder said.

"No," Marley said firmly. "I'm in a diaper. A diaper for Christ's sake. I don't know if I have to use the bathroom until it's too late. Do you know how humiliating that is? Do you know what's worse? I never asked for that. I never wanted that. I just wanted a mother figure to love me and remind me how good I was. I didn't want to be taken advantage of, or raped, or forced into diapers, or spanked, or given broken ribs. I didn't want any of that. I just wanted an older woman, to love me, and remind me of my mother, so that I didn't wish that I died that night too," Marley cried.

"The only other story I can tell you is about the pacifiers," she said and she told Ryder about the pacifiers soaked in vinegar. "Now I'm done. Or I'm done for now. I don't want to remember any more stories right now, but if you need more, I'll give them to you," she said.

"I think you've done really well for now Marley and I know that I don't have any more questions for you. If you have more to tell, you can, if you want to stop and come back later to tell more, you can do that too. We are still holding Terri in a cell and I am going to put in a call to judge Jenna Chang. She will be the one trying your case," he said and then she shut off the recorder. "Should we get you back to the people you came in with?" he asked and she nodded, squeezing her pacifier as tightly as she could manage. "I can help you back to them, or we can call them in here, what would you rather?" he asked and she looked at him curiously.

"I just told you that I'm in a diaper and you're not running screaming from the room. Why is that?" she asked.

"Because I have heard a lot of stories in my time," he started.

"It's not a story. It's not a lie!" she yelled getting upset and he held up his hands in defense and took a step backward.

"Tales then," he said. "I've heard a lot of people tell their story, but never with such conviction as you told yours. You want the wrongs righted and you would be surprised to know how many people hold back and don't tell; don't do what I perceive as the right thing. I don't care that you're in diapers. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met Marley," he told her. "So I'll ask again. Do you want me to help you to them, or have them come to you?" he asked.

"Why are you letting me decide?" she asked angrily.

"Because you weren't given a choice for a good two months. You should get to make decisions of your own," he said.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hi everyone,**

**I hope you're all doing well. I also hope you're all enjoying the story. I hope there was not so much confusion in the last chapter and that all all went back and read the updated A/N. Here is this week's update.**

**Warning: Marley retells some of her story, and Terri is still around.**

**As always, many thanks to my supporters, encouragers, REVIEWERS, readers, and followers. I can't believe the story has made it all the way to Chapter 29 so far. That's very encouraging.**

**Be well friends.**

* * *

><p>Beth walked into the small room where Santana, Rachel, and Kurt were waiting. She knew that they were all exhausted and so she smiled when she saw the three of them curled up in the corner of the room together, seemingly asleep. Three sets of eyes popped open as soon as it registered that the door had opened. "She's ready my loves, we can all go home now," Beth smiled.<p>

The three of them practically sprang to their feet and began rushing off to get Marley. Upon seeing their baby girl, they found a withdrawn, trembling, quiet, version of Marley. It was almost exactly how she looked when they first met her in the hospital.

"Are you ready to go back to Miss Beth's house baby? I don't know about you, but I am very tired and I want to go back to bed," Santana told her kindly. Marley nodded, not prepared to say anything just yet. She wanted to be held. She wanted to cry. She wanted to sleep and yet she wanted to remain awake forever. Her nightmares were going to come back in full force pretty soon. "Who am I baby girl?" she asked her kindly.

"Mommy," she whispered.

"I love you Marley and I'm so proud of you. We still have a few rewards to get for you and this is another one. We'll look and shop online later today. But right now, time to go home and we can all cuddle in the big bed," Santana said.

* * *

><p>They made it home around five am and Beth was the one who ushered everyone inside and insisted that they all go straight to bed. Santana took Marley into the bathroom, had her sit on the toilet and changed her diaper as well. She noticed that Marley looked off. Something wasn't right, so she knelt down in front of her and pet her face gently. "I am so proud of you my sweet baby girl. You did the bravest thing you could have ever done today," Santana told her.<p>

Marley gave a tired smile and Santana forced herself to not frown. Marley looked awful, but Santana couldn't place why. She continued to pet her face and let her finish her business on the toilet before putting her in a new diaper pull up and taking her to bed. "You're my best baby girl and I'm very proud of you lovely," she told her. Marley simply nodded and held on to Santana tightly as she was lead back to the bedroom. Rachel and Kurt were already waiting for them, both yawning heavily as their bodies started to sink into the comfortable mattress.

"There's our baby girl," Rachel smiled. "Are you ready to cuddled my sweet girl?" she asked and Marley simply crawled into bed, forcing herself against Rachel's body while Santana got in behind her. Marley didn't say anything, she just took Santana's hand and pulled it around her body. She fell asleep rather quickly and Santana reached her hand over and tapped the top of Rachel's head. Rachel looked up at Santana with raised eyebrows.

"Hot to you?" she asked, her eyes flicking down to Marley.

"I love you baby girl, we all love you," Rachel told her and she leaned in and kissed Marley's forehead gently and her eyes sent a look to Santana that was pure panic. Santana shook her head so that Rachel would stay calm and Rachel spoke kindly. "Shall we sing to our baby girl?" she asked gently and the three of them started to sing softly. The song finished and Rachel turned her head to whisper to Kurt. "We need to check her temperature," she said.

"Now?" he hissed at her.

"I can fry eggs on her forehead," Santana hissed back.

"How do you want me to do this exactly?" he asked on a yawn and both girls looked stumped. They knew they needed to figure out how hot Marley was, but neither of them knew exactly how to do that without waking her and they weren't sure of all the supplies in Beth's medicine cabinet.

"Okay, you know what, she's asleep, but if I leave, she's going to wake up," Santana sighed. "Go down the hall and knock on Miss Beth's door. She's probably still up. Tell her Marley is very warm and we want to check her temperature," Santana said.

"You both owe me big time. I get all the cuddle time with her that I want and she wants, and you do not get to wake me up until noon at the earliest," he grumbled and then he got up and did as asked.

"Don't look so upset, I'll make him pancakes and bacon in the morning," Santana said.

"He'll like that," Rachel grinned. "I'm worried about her though," she said honestly.

"You are not the only one," Santana said seriously and Kurt returned with an ear thermometer and handed it to Santana before getting back into bed. "Thank you," Santana told him and she carefully put it in Marley's ear and clicked the button. After the five seconds passed, Santana pulled it away and frowned. One hundred and three.

* * *

><p>Marley was pinned to her place with fear. Terri was standing over her. Marley marveled at how Terri's body covered in bruises and Terri began screaming at Marley. "You did this to me. You made me this terrible woman when all I wanted was to love you as my little girl," she'd screamed. The screaming was getting louder and louder with each word until finally Terri was standing over Marley with a gun. "All you ever wanted was your precious mother. I wanted to give that to you, and you ruined my life. So now I'm going to end theirs and yours," she said. Terri turned quickly and shot Santana, Rachel, and Kurt in the head. Their bodies fell to lifelessness and blood began pouring out of their chests, and Marley had screamed out in pain, but she didn't really hear herself screaming, she was just crying. Then Terri turned and pointed the gun at Marley. The shot sounded and Marley screamed.<p>

She was sitting up in bed, sweating heavily, panting and screaming, bringing all the ladies of the house running to find out what the problem was. Kurt had been the only one to steadily remain in bed with Marley since they returned from the police station. Marley fell forward on the bed, face buried in the sheets, as the rest of her family came to help her. The bed sagged and she only felt it for a second. Then she screamed again as arms drew her up and into them. Something was warm and safe about them, but she didn't know what it was. Finally reality caught up with her and she started wailing for Santana. "Mommy!" she wailed and it was a cry that no one had heard before.

This was the cry of a little girl who had lost her mother. This was the cry of a little girl who had lost the person she trusted the most in the entire world. It was also the cry of someone who lost a friend. She wasn't stopping though. She wasn't focusing and Beth moved over to see if she could help a bit. "What can I do to help you my loves?" she asked as she watched Rachel move onto the bed near Kurt.

"We don't know, that's a new sound," Rachel said honestly. Finally the fog lifted and Marley wailed again for her Mommy, and Santana pulled her into a tighter hug.

"Mommy Santana is right here sweetheart. Mommy has you, you just have to open your eyes and know that you're with me and completely safe and loved. I'm right here Marely. Kurt rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and laid back to just watch. He would know if he was needed and right now he knew Marley just wanted her Mommy. Beth watched Santana carefully and smiled when Marley started to stutter and get her breathing under control. However Marley was not returning to them like Beth had originally thought. Marley started to cry harder, her entire body shaking, and Santana looked at Rachel.

"Come in behind her. Wrap her as best you can," Santana told her.

Rachel scooted in close and stopped just shy of Marley, trying to figure out how to do this. "Lean back against me," Kurt said and she gave him a funny look but leaned back. "Open your legs so they're on either side of her," he said and she groaned as her body stretched but did as Kurt suggested. Then she put her legs down on either side of Marley and Kurt pushed her up to sitting. She scooted in even closer and wrapped herself around Marley and her heals dug slightly into Santana's hips.

"Not my hips please" Santana said and Rachel leaned to the right to look. Beth smiled and watched as Kurt struggled to sit up and then fixed Rachel's legs so they were in a better position and not digging into Santana's body. He checked on her feet, nodded, and laid back down. "Calm down baby girl. Mommy's here and Mama is right behind you," Santana soothed and Rachel pressed her body into Marley's back. If they could pin her in place, so to speak, her body would begin to relax faster. Her nerves were running wild at the moment, so they had to do everything they could to calm them. Marley's head finally went to Santana's shoulder and she just cried.

"I'm right here baby. I don't know what has you so upset, but Mommy and Mama are right here and we're going to sit with you for as long as you need. Papa is on the bed too. He's been with you while you were sleeping. Mama and I were up and restless so we didn't want to stay and wake you up or disturb you," Santana said.

Marley pushed back and tried to speak, but it came out in gibberish and tears were spilling down her cheeks. A closer look revealed that Marley wasn't actually awake. "It's okay baby. Keep breathing, you're okay and Mommy's right here, and Mama's behind you," Santana said gently. "Do you want to turn around and look at Mama and Papa?" Santana offered. Marley's teeth were chattering at this point, she was so shaky and upset from her dream.

"Mommy," Marley said softly.

"Yes, baby, I'm right here," she told her gently and she pet her face softly, using her thumb pad to brush away the tears that were still falling. Santana frowned deeply when she felt how hot Marley was. She seemed hotter than the one hundred and three degrees she'd been early.

"Mommy, gun, dead," she pushed out and Rachel's eyes went wide and Santana quirked her mouth slightly indicating for Rachel to stay quiet.

"Mommy is perfectly okay, and so are Mama and Papa," Santana told her. "We're very safe and alive and there was no gun," she told her. Marley cried softly and put her head back on Santana's shoulder, taking in the comfort and Santana squeezed her tighter. "Go on sweetheart, rest against Mommy," she said gently hoping that she would get through the fog of Marley's brain. She needed Marley to stay calm.

Marley was back to sleeping pretty quickly Rachel looked at Santana. "A gun?" she asked her.

"Don't!" Santana said.

"Santana," Rachel protested.

"I said don't! I know what she said. I heard the same damn thing you did. Do not go there. I'm not ready and neither is she. None of us are prepared to talk about death and guns. End of conversation," Santana said seriously and Rachel pouted.

"Is she back to sleeping?" Kurt asked, interrupting the girls.

"Yes," Santana said feeling the heavy weight against her.

"Good, then she is no longer a raw nerve ending, so please leave her with Papa while her Mommies go squabble else where," he said and he carefully pulled Marley into his arms, down to the bed, and cuddled her tightly so she would remain asleep.

"I suddenly don't like you," Santana said.

"You never did, nothing has changed," he said poking his tongue out at her. Both Santana and Rachel kissed his cheek and Marley's forehead before leaving the room where they did indeed squabble elsewhere.

* * *

><p>Marley was finally awake but she wasn't talking. She and Santana were seated on the couch and Marley tried to eat whatever food Santana offered her, as well as sips of water every so often. "You're doing so well baby. I'm so proud of you, can you please have another bite for me?" Santana asked her and she helped her have another sip of water. "Okay my love, sit with Papa, he can help you feed yourself with dessert, and Mommy will be right back," she said.<p>

Kurt moved to sit next to Marley with a small cup of chocolate pudding that Beth had made earlier in the day. As soon as Santana stood up, Marley started screaming in fear. Her body let go of whatever it had been holding on to, messing herself, and reaching for Santana, and her back went into spasm and she fell into Kurt, screaming. "Go to the bathroom Santana," Kurt said and he carefully pulled Marley into his arms. He carefully rubbed her back in all the right spots and tried to calm the muscles that were now shaking. "Calm down baby. Mommy's coming back. She just has to go to the bathroom. She'll be right back, and then you'll get to sit with her," Kurt told her. "She'll be right back," he soothed.

"What happened?" Rachel asked moving to sit down with Kurt and help him rub Marley's back and work out the spasm. Marley was still screaming bloody murder while Kurt worked on her. Her head was on Kurt's shoulder, but she was still screaming bloody murder since Santana was gone.

"MOMMY!" she screamed.

"Shhh, inside voice baby girl," Kurt told her kindly but she continued to scream while Rachel worked on her muscles to help relax them.

"Where's Santana?" Rachel asked.

"Awww, does everyone miss Mommy?" Santana teased and she kissed Rachel's cheek, sitting down on the couch and taking Marley carefully into her arms and working carefully to get Marley's muscles to relax.

"MOMMY!" Marley screamed.

"No baby girl, no screaming," Santana scolded gently.

"Yes, I missed you, but I don't know what happened?" Rachel said and she helped Santana and Kurt work on Marley's back. Finally her back relaxed and Santana looked at Marley. "Look at Mommy sweetheart," she said kindly. Marley shook her head no and held on to Santana as tightly as she could. "I need you to see me baby. You aren't in trouble. I just need you to look at me, that's all," she said kindly. Marley again shook her head no and gripped Santana tighter still. "You're body is going to lock out again baby, just look. It's nothing bad. I just want you to know that it's Mommy and Mama and Papa with you. I want you to know your family is here with you and that you're safe," Santana said but Marley shook her head no a third time. She wasn't having any of this.

Rachel held up her hand and looked at Santana for moment. She leaned in and carefully rested her head on Santana's shoulder. She very softly began to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. They hadn't sung to her today yet. Rachel was hoping that it would work and so she sang it as a very slow and soft lullaby and Santana smiled. At least Marley had turned her head to look at where the voice was coming from. Her eyes focused in on Rachel and Rachel gave a small smile and continued to sing. "Mama?" Marley asked softly.

"Yes baby. It's Mama," Rachel told her.

"Mama dead?" she asked.

"No, I'm here. Very alive and so are you. So are Mommy and Papa. Here, do you want to find Mama's pulse?" Rachel asked and she held out her hand for Marley to feel her wrist. "Right here love. If you touch right here, you'll be able to feel it," Rachel told her kindly.

"It's very strong, isn't it love?" Kurt asked gently and Marley didn't acknowledge that anyone was talking to her, she simply touched Rachel's wrist, very delicately, as if it were glass that would shatter her own skin. "See baby, that's Mama's pulse. It's good that it's strong. That's how we know she's still alive when she sleeps," Kurt said.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"I check on you all at night when you're all sleeping sometimes, just to make sure you're not tangled in sheets, or having bad dreams, or what have you and Mama Rae over there, she looks like a doll. I get concerned about her breathing, so I check her pulse on her wrist, and she's got a very strong pulse," he said.

"That's creepy," Rachel said.

"Creepy or not, I make sure my girls are taken care of," Kurt said.

* * *

><p>It had only been a few hours, but to Santana it felt like months. Marley hadn't left her side. She cried and begged to stay next to Santana, but had shut down a little more with each passing second. She hadn't said a single word in the past two hours. Beth tried to engage her a few times, but Marley wasn't having any of it. She wasn't rude, but she was terribly shy, only pointing and not speaking. She'd done enough talking for a while and being a big girl was exhausting lately. She figured if she didn't have to be a big girl, maybe she wouldn't be so tired. She did however fall against Santana and decided to take a little nap at the moment. Her head went to Santana's shoulder and then she tried to close her eyes, but every time she did, Terri was right in front of her, holding something threatening. The first time it was a paddle, the second time it was jar of suppositories, and the third time it was a gun. She shrieked in fear and jumped in Santana's arms startling her slightly.<p>

Marley pushed back and looked at Santana with pure fear, shaking her head no and crying. "What happened love?" Santana asked gently, going to pet Marley's face, but Marley shrieked and pulled away. She tucked her chin, and started to sway and fight, needing to get away from the person holding her. "Shhh, it's just Mommy Santana, Marley," Santana told her kindly. Marley shook her head and her eyes fell heavy with sleep, but Marley would shake her head and force her eyes open, but she was keeping her head down so Santana never noticed.

Beth was watching from the kitchen, playing cards with Kurt. He had ben thumbing through a deck and so she sat down across from him, picked it up, and started dealing out hands for texas hold'em poker. She happened to look toward Santana and noticed something wasn't quite right with Marley, so she looked to Kurt. "Can you help with that too?" she asked him.

"Sometimes. I can always try, but Rachel and I like to wait to offer help. Santana is a Mama Bear at times and it's only cool if we're part of her little cub pack too," he smiled.

"How long before you do that?" she asked.

"I can hear you!" Santana called politely and Beth poked her tongue out at Santana from behind. The kitchen was behind the sofa, so anyone could make all the faces they wanted as long as the person on the sofa wasn't looking.

Rachel had been in the bedroom, taking her own nap for the afternoon and decided to finally get up and go be with her family. They were all exhausted and going through emotional crap, so she figured they should be together. She moved to the living room and took a seat next to Santana who was once again holding Marley as she tried to sleep and Rachel watched as Marley's eyes closed and then flew open and Marley jumped when she saw Rachel there.

"It's just Mama Rae baby, you're okay," Santana said kindly feeling the tension run through her body.

"Something is haunting her," Rachel said kindly.

"Marley baby, look at Mommy please," she said but Marley whined and cried and couldn't do as asked. She couldn't look at Santana and see nothing but disappointment in her eyes. It was too painful and she knew Santana was definitely disappointed in her. They all were and why shouldn't they be? She told her story. She didn't mention that these people had saved her life. She didn't mention that these three people whom she called Mommy, Mama, and Papa, had been the most patient and supportive people when it came to her needs and wants. They bent over backwards for her ever day and she didn't tell anyone at the police station about them. She couldn't look at Santana.

Rachel took a deep breath and looked at Santana, she took her hand and began to sing very slowly a song that they knew very well. "Fresh cut grass, one cold beer," she sang softly. She was keeping her voice soft and low, turning the original uptempo song into a lullaby. She and Santana kept singing until Marley finally started to fall asleep and when she wasn't quite there, Rachel started the song all over again. They sang it three times and Beth was grinning.

"You've never heard Santana sing?" Kurt asked.

"No, this is a first. She should be called Miss Songbird," Beth smiled.

"I have to ask. Why did you bring us all here?" he asked politely as he gathered all the discarded cards and began to reshuffle the deck.

"I treat all my employees as if they were my children, so to speak. That is my club, and they need to follow my rules, but if they make me look good, I will always take care of them. The people who work for me know this. They are also, all very stubborn, and won't ask for it. When I heard what was happening with you, I knew that you all had to come here."

"I mean this respectfully, but Rachel and I are not your employees," Kurt told her.

"That is very true, but you are an intricate part of Santana's life, and Marley's as well. It means you are all a family and I will not break up a family. You know Nanny Susan. She has two boys. If I needed to protect her in some way, all three of them would come under my care, and my receptionist Nicole, who you ordered around," Beth said pausing for a moment, enjoying the blush that was rising on Kurt's cheeks, "she has a girlfriend, and if I needed to protect Nicole, then her girlfriend and their dog actually come too," Beth said.

"It's very kind of you," Kurt said kindly.

"Think nothing of it my boy," she smiled.

* * *

><p>On the couch Marley was finally calm. She wasn't thrashing around anymore, but she was still not asleep and Rachel could see her fighting something. She studied her face carefully and then began speaking kindly to Santana. "I had a good nap in the bedroom, did you want to try it?" she offered kindly.<p>

Santana gave her a curious look but decided that she was trying to do something so she went with it. "A nap?" Santana asked.

Rachel nodded and gently stroked the back of her hand over Santana's cheek and then Marley's. "Mmm, as soon as I laid down, I felt all warm and comfy and snuggly and safe. I think you should try it too," Rachel said and she carefully nodded toward Marley.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Santana said and she felt Marley wiggle around and snuggle in closer to her, still fighting sleep.

"What if we tried it and I sang you a lullaby," Rachel said and Marley's eyes popped open and she gasped in fear and then had trouble catching her breath. "She needs to see you, let me have her please," Rachel said softly and with some hesitation, she passed Marley over. Marley shrieked in fear but Rachel held firm. "She's fighting something. If I hold her, you can get in her face and she needs that right now," Rachel said seriously and she gathered Marley as close as she could.

Santana sunk down and made sure to look at Marley. "You're okay baby, you are. Look at Mommy," Santana said gently taking her face and petting her cheeks and forehead, still not thrilled that her baby girl was so feverish. "Look at Mommy honey. I just need you to focus in on me, and as soon as you do, maybe we can calm your nerves and get you to actually sleep," she said.

Rachel was very careful and very gentle, but she began to restrain Marley slightly, so that eventually she would have no choice but to look at Santana. Marley was fighting though. She had to get away. Everyone was after her. She couldn't move, so she tried to hide, but even that didn't work. She was stuck in her spot and someone was pushing against her head. That was new to her. She'd never really felt that feeling and had she been able to calm down, she would have learned there was no actual pushing going on. Rachel simply had her hand behind Marley's head and when Marley tried to move, Rachel kept her hand in place. Marley responded well to touch most of the time. What Rachel was trying to do was pull Marley out of her state of confusion by giving her a constant touch.

It finally connected and Marley looked directly at Santana and started to cry. "Shhh, you're okay baby. Mama's holding you, I'm right here, and Papa is in the kitchen with miss Beth. It's still early afternoon baby, do you want to try and take a real nap with Mommy?" she asked her. Marley simply whimpered and then started to cry. "I'm right here sweetheart. It's just Mommy and I only want to keep you safe my love," Santana told her. Marley leaned over, letting Santana hold her again and just continued to cry. "You know what my baby. I'm not mad, I'm not even going to stop you. If you want to cry while Mommy holds you, you can do that," she said gently and she just rubbed her back and gave her several kisses. "I love you so much Marley Rose," she told her.

* * *

><p>Ryder sat at the table and sighed, he was nearly done with is graveyard shift. Jake was coming in to relieve him and he was just finishing up the notes on Marley, when he heard Jake and looked up to see him plunk down in a chair across from him and hand him a coffee. "Man you look like you just lost your best friend," he said. "And I just got here so I know you didn't. What's up?" he asked.<p>

"I want to lock up that bitch for what she did," he growled softly indicating Terri who was in the small lock up room and pacing continually, shouting occasionally.

"I told you not to get on that case. I told you it would be too difficult to hear. That case is one of the worst this precinct has seen in the last ten years I was told. Dude, you gotta pass that case on now. It's getting to you."

"Did you just call me dude?" Ryder asked and Jake shrugged. "First of all, I can't just pass it on, and neither can you. Secondly, I sat with her, and there's something about her. I have to help her now. I have to make sure that we do everything we can to lock that bitch up."

"First off, we can't call her a bitch to her face, so get it all out now. Secondly, we you and me, or we the police force as a whole."

"Whatever will work," Ryder said. "Here listen," he said and pressed play on the tape recorder and Jake listened to Marley explain how the Terri would give her ice cold pacifiers.

_"It started out very cold, like ice. The ice would go away though and the cold would start to turn sour. She'd been storing them in the freezer I think. It's the only place I can think of that would make them that cold. The sour would eventually turn warm and pretty soon, it was just warm and sour and then it would sting. Not the first time, but as she kept doing it, it would get worse. It dried out my mouth and I had to have speech therapy for all the sores that had developed. Once I think I was bleeding, but that could have been because the food was too hot,"_ she said thoughtfully.

"That's her! That's my baby!" Terri screamed from the lock up section that she was in, waiting for her lawyer to show up and release her as the judge had set bail already. It was set to two hundred thousand dollars. She could set the bail at whatever she wanted and having been woken up at three in the morning made it just a tad higher. She also thought it would be good to set it high so that Terri couldn't leave. Judge Chang and her husband had three children. Having read what this woman did, she didn't want Terri on the streets if at all possible, so she set a reasonable, yet high bail.

"Shut up!" Ryder yelled angrily.

"You can't talk to me that way!" Terri bit back and then started to cry. "I just want my baby! Bring her to me. You know where she is, and I have to know she's safe! Where is my lawyer! I'm her mother. I need to see my baby. Those people have brainwashed her! Everything she's been telling you is a pack of lies!" Terri babbled.

"She talks too much," Jake said softly to Ryder and to Jake's delight, Ryder actually laughed.

"She does; and this Marley girl, I don't think she was brainwashed," Ryder said.

"I think she was," Jake said honestly, "but I think she was brainwashed by that woman and not the people she's with now. Who is she with now? Did you even see who she came with?"

"Two women and a man."

"What about your dominatrix friend?" Jake grinned. He loved that Ryder had a friend who was heavy into domination and ran a business out of it. It was never clarified how Ryder knew Beth, but in Jake's mind Ryder was the kinkiest man he knew and that was how he knew Beth.

"Yeah, she came too," Ryder said dryly.

"I need my baby! I'm her mother!" Terri yelled.

"I'd love to shoot her with a tranquilizer dart," Ryder sighed, being sure to keep his voice low. Jake smiled and nodded his agreement while Terri went on to scream about how she needed her baby.

"They are hurting her! I heard her crying when she talked to you!" Terri yelled. "Why the fuck aren't you going after her? They have my baby girl," she yelled at the two men.

"Maybe you should have treated her better and we could have avoided this whole complicated situation that we are now in, thanks to you," Jake said evenly, not really talking to Terri, but talking loud enough that he could be heard by anyone within ear shot and Terri definitely was.

"That's my little girl! Let me out so I can find her!" Terri yelled.

"Judge Chang will be the one who decides if you get released," Jake said calmly.

"Well get the judge on the phone, right now!" she yelled.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you're all doing well. I won't be around tomorrow because it's fathers day & I'll be with my dad all day. **

**Warnings: Marley is having fever dreams. Read carefully as you may get confused. There's no real tortuous parts though. Marley will always have her memories, but they aren't real detailed in this chapter.**

**As always, many thanks to Nayafan, UnholyUnderBoob, Beaner008, & all of my readers and reviewers. It keeps me motivated to continue the story & some of you have left me the most hearty warning & beautifully kind reviews. Thank you for that.**

**I also want to say that I can't believe I'm at chapter 30 & for those of you who asked I don't know how many more there will be.**

**Thanks again all & have a lovely weekend.**

* * *

><p>It had taken several attempts over several hours to get Marley to finally fall asleep. Eventually it worked though and Beth walked into the guest room to see her four guests all curled up in the bed together, as tightly as possible. They were just a giant mass of arms and legs. "Sleep well my darlings," she said softly and shut the door behind her, as she left the room.<p>

Marley's eyes fluttered opened and she looked down at her hands, noticing how small they were. She turned her hands back and forth trying to figure out why everything was so tiny all of a sudden. She looked down further when she saw a small, pale, sausage looking thing out in front of her. The more she looked at it, the more she saw it looked like a foot. With shaking hands, she touched it, and realized it was her own leg and foot. She looked up at the white door on the other side of the room and realized it seemed massive.

"I fell down the rabbit hole," she thought to herself and started to crawl toward the door, but was quickly distracted by something shiny handing just above her head. It caught the light nicely and when she looked up to get a better view point, she fell down onto her back. It didn't hurt though, but she felt pinned in place. Bars were now all around her and she wasn't sure what was going on. She was lying down in a very white jail cell apparently when she heard a voice. Terri's voice was on the other side of that door and it was getting closer and closer, causing Marley to cry softly, but she kept biting her lip to try and stop herself. Her body was so small, Terri was going to kill her now. There was no question.

"Mommy!" she cried out sadly. She wished Santana was there with her. She was surprised when a giant version of Santana walked in the room. Santana walked over to the place Marley was and as soon as Marley saw her she gave a faint smile and then began reaching, needing to get to Santana.

"Hey baby girl," Santana smiled carefully lifting her up into her arms. "Did you have a good nap?" she asked her gently and Marley tried to give an answer, or ask a question, but no words were coming out of her mouth. "Okay baby girl, let's get you changed and then we can go have breakfast okay?" she asked gently and Marley put her head straight to Santana's shoulder, trying to think. Why was Santana so big, why was she so small and why couldn't she talk. "Ooooh, sleepy girl," Santana crooned gently. "It's okay baby. Mommy's going to change you and then we can go eat. Papa made yummy pancakes for you to try. Are you ready for yummy pancakes? I don't think you've had those yet," Santana said and Marley felt like she was falling as Santana laid her down on a changing table and worked at getting her into a clean diaper. Marley looked scared and Santana began to sing softly. "You're okay. Just a quick clean and then you'll be good to go, very fast baby girl, very fast, I promise you," Santana told her and did make quick work of it, just as she promised.

"Okay baby girl, all done!" she cooed and carefully lifted Marley up and settled her on her hip. Marley got very tense, very quickly. She couldn't understand how she was so small. She had to be dreaming, but it was all so real. Every touch, every sound, every sight and every smell. It was all real and it was how she lived her life so she was very confused.

"There she is!" Rachel cooed sweetly when Santana walked into the kitchen and Marley saw one plate set up for her, with pancakes and some raspberries on it. "Are you hungry baby girl? Papa made pancakes, and left you berries and said he will be back soon okay?" she asked and she frowned when Marley didn't say anything. "Maybe soon you will talk to us again my love. We miss hearing your voice so much," Rachel told her kissing her cheek and turning to get a cup of juice for her to drink.

Marley looked to Santana with a lot of question on her face. She'd been talking a lot, why did Rachel say she wasn't. Something was wrong, besides the fact that she was under three feet tall now. "My girl," Santana grinned and kissed her temple. "Come on, we'll sit down. You can sit on Mommy's lap and eat breakfast, just like I promised," she told her and sat down with Marley on her lap, making sure she was comfortable. She wrapped one arm around Marley's waist to secure her in place and used her other hand to hand Marley the fork. "Who feeds my girl?" she asked her softly. "Should Mommy feed you, or do you want to feed yourself?" she asked.

Marley wasn't sure, so she wrapped her very small hand over Santana's. She would try herself, but if she got tired and was still hungry, Santana would be able to help her. She took three bites and then decided she was very hot. Everything was hot. Her hands, her body, her face, even her toes. Everything just seemed to be overwhelmingly hot and she didn't know what to do about it.

"Santana," Rachel said calmly, to try and get her attention, and Santana looked up and frowned. There was something definitely off and Marley started to cry. She was confused and very warm. This time though she heard her own voice, she heard her own cries, and then she heard Santana's voice, but it had an echo, almost like Santana's voice was out of sync with her lips.

"What's wrong love?" Santana asked and Marley just cried harder while Santana tried to help her eat, because Marley was definitely still hungry. Her stomach was growling so loudly, she thought her stomach was going to eat itself. Then she realized it felt more like a cold pain rather than a hunger pain, but she was still incredibly hot. "Shhh, Mommy's here baby, you're okay," Santana said gently using her hand to brush Marley's hair out of her face. "Mommy's right here, and Mama's just running to the bathroom and Papa went to work, but he'll be back," she said kindly, her voice still holding a buzz.

Rachel appeared from somewhere that Marley had been unaware she'd gone to, and then she heard her singing. Rachel sang gently while something was carefully pushed into her ear, but it was only there for a quick moment before it was gone again and then the heat came over Marley again.

* * *

><p>Beth walked into the bedroom, with a small bowl of ice cubes and a washcloth. "It's not wet yet my darlings, it's just cold. It'll help us keep her fever down for now."<p>

"How did this happen? What did I do wrong?" Santana asked.

"Nothing," Rachel said kindly. "She got sick. Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"Not my kid. I do a damn good job of taking care of her."

"Yes you do," Rachel said, nodding her agreement.

"Then why does she have a fever of one hundred and four?" Santana growled protectively.

"First of all, stop talking to me like I gave it to her. I didn't. Secondly. She was very brave the last little while. She's been to the club a lot lately, and now we're in a new place and she went down to the police station and told her story to keep Terri locked up. She's done a lot, her immune system isn't quite up to par because Terri ruined any relationship she had with food, so she doesn't eat well or enough, and now, unfortunately, she's paying the price."

"You are wildly unhelpful," Santana grumbled.

"You just don't want to hear the truth and you don't like that you can't control it. Just sit with her and rest. I'm sure everything will be fine within the next twenty four hours," Rachel said and she left the room, but not fast enough as she was suddenly hit by Panda as he went flying through the air, with Santana's help. Rachel ignored it and went to Beth. "Thank you for your hospitality. I need to get to work though, is there anything I need to do special to come back?" she asked.

"No darling. I have a car downstairs waiting for you. I do not trust Terri, so until we are sure that she is either locked up, or sent very far away, you will all be chauffeured where you need to go. I haven't heard from the judge yet, so until I do I am keeping all four of you as safe as I possibly can," she said. Rachel didn't argue. She simply nodded and headed downstairs to go to work. Once she was gone, Santana emerged from the bedroom and looked confused. "What's the matter darling?" Beth asked.

"I've never taken care of a sick person before. I don't know what I'm doing and she's crying in her sleep and I can't wake her. Her mouth is moving, but no sound is coming out. The tears however are very real."

* * *

><p>"Where's my baby girl?" Santana cooed sweetly. Marley was back in the white jail again. She didn't remember how she got there, but Santana and now Kurt were there with her, picking her up, playing with her and giving her lots of cuddles and kisses. "There she is," Santana smiled. "There's my baby girl," she grinned.<p>

"Alright don't fuss too much, I want time with her too," Kurt said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Santana said and she nuzzled Marley gently. "Will you go stay with Papa for a bit? Mommy wants to change your bedding, so you'll be more comfortable," she told her and she gave her a kiss, before carefully passing Marley to Kurt and Marley hung on to him as tightly as she could.

"You're okay baby. Mommy's right there, you're just staying with Papa, so you don't accidentally crawl underfoot. We don't want anything to happen to you," he said.

"Mommy?" she asked him softly.

"Yes, Mommy's right there," he said pointing at Santana. "Here, we can sit right here and watch Mommy work," he told her. He sat down on the ground and instead of sitting her in his lap he helped her to stand and turn so she could watch. She turned back so she was only partially able to see and was suddenly fixated on the fact that she and Papa were the same height. He was seated fully on the floor and she was standing on her feet and as tall as he was. Something was very wrong. She also knew that she felt very safe.

Santana finished changing the bedding and turned around to see Kurt and Marley watching each other closely for some reason. "Alright baby girl, all done," she said. Marley turned around and looked at Santana with a smile and then reached out an arm. "You want to come see Mommy?" she smiled at her and Marley continued to reach. Santana moved closer, sat down on the floor and took Marley's hands. "Are you trying to walk to Mommy?" she cooed sweetly, holding her hands gently while Kurt took care to hold her torso and keep her up and steady so she could walk to Santana.

"I know it's very scary baby girl, but Mommy's here and Papa's here and if Mama were here she'd be supporting you too. You are so close and Mommy is so proud of you," Santana said.

"Mommy," Marley told her.

"Yes baby, you can walk to Mommy, come on, you can do it. We can count the steps," Santana offered and Marley shook her head no. She very carefully dropped down to her knees and crawled to Santana. The only problem was Santana was now Terri and Terri had a death grip on her little body.

"You little bitch! You think you're good enough to crawl? You're an infant. Infants don't crawl, or talk, or move. They stay where they are put and that's all they do! You don't get to move unless I say so. You don't get to eat unless I say so, and you sure as hell don't talk, unless I say so, and I think you need a reminder of that!" Terri said and she shoved a pacifier soaked in vinegar into her mouth and locked it in place behind her head.

Marley didn't know what was going on, but that terrible taste was in her mouth, stuck there while Terri carried her off to the bedroom. She put her in the crib, undid the diaper and Marley's eyes were quickly covered with a blindfold and her world went black.

* * *

><p>Marley kicked in her sleep and it startled Santana awake. She'd tried to stay awake for the past three hours, but Beth saw exhaustion on her face when she went to get new ice, so she made her lay down next to Marley.<p>

Santana rolled onto her side and gathered Marley close. "Shhh, Mommy Santana has you Marley. It's just Mommy Santana and Marley. We are very safe, cuddled up together in Miss Beth's house. I promise you my baby girl, you are perfectly normal, loved, beautiful, talented and a super strong young lady. You are the best lady to ever walk into my life, and I will always be your Mommy, for as long as you want me to. I love you too much to ever let anything so terrible happen to you again," Santana said and then she shifted carefully. Marley had calmed down by now and Santana sighed. She carefully pulled Marley on top of her while she leaned against the headboard and kept Marley on her chest. She grabbed the thermometer and took Marley's temperature, glad to see it was now down two degrees.

"Okay big girl. Now we have a talk," Santana said, once she got her settled against her chest. "See sweetheart, a very mean lady took a lot of things away from you. We know that her name is Terri. Now I know that we've been patient with you these last few weeks when it comes to eating, but that was wrong of us, and now because of that, you've gotten sick. You have a kind of high fever and your body needs proper nourishment to combat that. I think it will lead to a lot of fights, but we're going to have to be a little bit stricter. You're going to have to eat a little more. I know you have a crazy relationship with food, but we have to help your body get better and the way to do that is to eat and change your relationship with food. We have to get you to understand that food is a good thing. I will never force it down your throat, but we're going to set up a system for you to eat more food. I will measure it out with you and explain it all to you and anything else I need to do to get you to understand," Santana told her as she pet her hair gently.

Beth walked in and smiled. "Talking to yourself there?" she teased her.

"Kind of. I'm actually hoping she hears me somehow. I know they say people in comas can hear you. I'm hoping fever sleeps or whatever it is she has are the same thing."

"And how are you feeling about yourself?" Beth asked her.

"I don't understand the question," she said.

"You yelled at Rachel earlier, because, and I quote, my kid doesn't get sick," Beth said pointedly.

"Yeah, well she doesn't. She hasn't. Not until now anyway."

"And you think that's your fault?" Beth asked kindly.

"Well isn't it? I mean, I did wake her up at stupid o'clock, I did take her down to the police station, I let her go into a room by herself and tell her story and then I brought her back home. I've taken her so far out of her comfort zone and safety places that there really was no other way for her body to react."

"First of all. I woke her up at stupid o'clock as you so poetically call it. Terri was the one who caused a ruckus for her to even need to go to police station, and she made the decision to go into the room by herself, on her own. All you did was support her along the way. And actually if we're going to get really technical, I'm the one who took all of you out of your comfort zones and safety places," Beth said.

"I'm still her Mommy though. I just want to do everything I can to keep her safe, and I feel like I failed."

"Then you truly are her Mommy, so let's leave her to rest properly for the next half hour or so, so that her Mommy can take some much needed time for herself. You were promised a session a while back and that was taken away from you, by Terri. I'm going to give you a choice. We can go into my room and finish what we started, or I can take you to the gym room and you can beat the shit out of my kick boxing bag," Beth told her.

"I can't leave her Miss," Santana said.

"What about when your friends come back? Will you take me up on my offer then?" Beth asked.

"I will seriously consider it," Santana said honestly and Beth leaned in and kissed her forehead, she knew it was the best she was going to get out of her. Santana was nothing, if not stubborn.

* * *

><p>Kurt came back to Beth's house and smiled when Rachel got out of the service car and took his hand. "It's too weird," she told him.<p>

"That's what I say, but at least we're being kept safe," he said. The two rode the elevator up to Beth's floor and stepped into the foyer once the doors opened. Beth greeted both of them with a friendly hug and then stepped back. "Is Marley sleeping?" Kurt asked, keeping his voice low.

"No, she finally woke up ten minutes ago and her fever is gone."

"Yay!" Rachel smiled and the two of them went to see their baby. "Hey munchkin," Rachel smiled.

"Mama!" Marley smiled tiredly, pressing her body into Santana.

"Oh good, everyone is home now, so we can all have a family talk," Santana said and Marley looked panicked. "Calm down my love, you know I'm not mad. We've already talked about it, but now Mama and Papa have to join us, so that we are all on the same page, that's all my baby," she told her gently.

Rachel took a seat near them and kissed Marley's cheek. "Come sit with Mama while we talk?" Rachel offered holding her arms out to Marley and Marley gave her a funny look, but carefully moved into her arms. "I missed my baby girl so much today," she said covering her in kisses and cuddles.

"Papa missed you too, but Mama is too quick for me sometimes," Kurt said and gave her some kisses before moving to sit next to Santana and took her hand. She looked extra stressed about this upcoming conversation. "So what are we discussing?" he asked.

"I want to talk about Marley's eating schedule. I really don't like that our baby girl was sick, and the best way for her to stay healthy and continue to heal is to eat. I talked to her earlier and I told her what the new plan is. We are going to measure everything out. We're going to start small to get her stomach used to it little by little. We will never, ever, ever force it down her throat. If it gets cold we will reheat it, as many times as it takes. It's not going to be easy and I'm sure we're going to have some fights, but we are doing this to make Marley better, and we will all be calm about it," Santana said.

"Do you understand all that Mommy said baby girl?" Rachel asked kindly and Marley nodded.

"Is there anything else you want to add or ask about?" Kurt offered. Marley shook her head no and sat with Rachel. "Okay baby girl, look at me please," Kurt said kindly and he knelt in front of her. "I know you don't want to talk. That's okay. I will ask you easy questions. I just want to talk to you about one thing. Do you know who's holding you?" he asked her and she nodded, lacing her fingers through Rachel's. I want you to think about something. Do you know for sure that Mommy and Mama and I love you more than anything else? Are you sure of that?" he asked her and she went stone still. This was it. This was how it was going to go down. They knew. They knew she didn't talk about them at the police station. They knew she didn't tell anyone else she was grateful that they even attempted to care for her, and because of that, they were going to get rid of her. She dropped her fingers from Rachel's and Kurt quickly took them.

"Marley baby, I don't mean to scare you. I just want you to believe what we know is the truth. We love you. You are now and forever our baby girl, whether you are nineteen or any other age. This new food thing. It's scary for us, because we know it's right for you, but we also feel like we're taking something away from you and you don't deserve that. I just want you to be sure and truly believe that we love you and only want the best for you, because it is the truth. Rachel was listening to Kurt but her eyes were glued on Santana's. Santana was seconds away from losing it.

"Well how about we start right now. It's dinner time, I'm very hungry, and the first time we do this, it should be as a family because that's what we are. All four of us make a family. We might be unconventional, but it's still a family," she smiled and kissed Marley's temple a few times. "Go on love, you cuddle with Papa for a while and Mommy and I will make dinner together. Once it's all cooked, we will then measure it out like Mommy said okay?" she asked.

Marley nodded and she went to sit with Kurt and Rachel quickly pulled Santana into the kitchen. "Tell me, tell me right now," Rachel hissed.

"I'll slap you!" Santana hissed back.

"Stop that. Tell me. Tell me what you need. Tell me what's freaking you out. Tell me anything you have to tell me, because all we did was explain to her what is going to happen and you nearly lost it," Rachel said.

"We just took away her choices, and I promised her I wasn't going to do that!" Santana said with a soft whine and then she did lose it. Rachel wrapped her in a tight hug and just held her. Rubbing her back and letting her get it out of her system. She needed this release, because while change was hard for Marley, it was also hard for Santana and she never admitted it.

Rachel held her tightly and after a few minutes she calmed down. "Look at me," Rachel said kindly. "You didn't take anything away. We're not forcing her to eat rotten food, or things that will make her sick. We're not even forcing her to eat," Rachel said and Santana glared at her. "At least not in the same way Terri forced her. Tell me. What made you think this was a good idea to start with?" Rachel asked. Santana huffed and Rachel shook her head and held firm. "You must have had a reason. You don't do anything when it comes to Marley that you haven't thought about first. We all know that! Even Nicole at the club knows that!"

"She is this close to walking," Santana said. "Every time she makes a break through she has more spasms, more pain, and regresses for about a week. Walking requires a ton of energy, and I just want her body to be ready for it," Santana said. "I want to stop all the pain and frustration she has."

"You can't do that," Rachel said simply and Santana growled. "That's not what I mean," Rachel said kindly. "What I mean is that you can't stop the pain and frustration. You make it less, you reassure her when she panics, and you are her Mommy and the one she wants to see when she's in those moments," Rachel said. "You want it lessened, that's not a bad thing Santana. It's not even anywhere close to what might be perceived as bad. Yes, it's going to suck the first few times. I don't doubt that. I expect a full out tantrum for the next month if I'm being honest with you. The difference is, you're doing this to help her. We're not yelling, we're not giving her undercooked food or over cooked. All we're doing is making sure she gets the nourishment she needs, so that when she starts to walk, her body can handle it. "We both gave her a bath the other night, what did we see?"

"Her ribs, collar bone, and spine," Santana said with some defeat in her voice.

"Do you think we should be seeing those things?" Rachel asked.

"No, but I don't want her thinking that we're torturing her either. I'm just afraid this is going to scare her."

"Listen to me very carefully. Marley is not afraid of her Mommy, and you Santana Lopez are most definitely her Mommy," Santana sighed and gathered her composure. Rachel helped her cook dinner and then pulled out her phone. "How much food is good for her, do you think? I mean how small are we starting here?" she asked.

"Small, but reasonable, what does the website say?" Santana asked.

"Three to four ounces of the meatloaf, and a cup of steamed vegetables," Rachel said.

"Yeah right," Santana laughed. "The meat I'm good with, measure out the full cup, but we won't push that. We'll push half that and all of the meat. I don't want to scare her," Santana told her. Rachel pulled out the food scale and went to start measuring, but Santana stopped her. "No. We do it in front of her. She has to see it happen. I don't want her not knowing. I promised her that she would see all measurements," Santana said.

Rachel nodded and put the last touches of shaved parmesan on the broccoli and cheddar. "It looks good to me," Rachel said and Santana nodded. Rachel moved over to the couch and smiled. "Hey," she smiled kindly at Kurt and Marley who were engaged in a game of tic tac toe. Marley was the X because it was easiest to draw for her. O's were much more difficult wit her motor skills at the moment. "When you two are finished with your game, dinner is ready and we are waiting for Marley to come look at dinner, so we can measure it all out together," Rachel told her.

The two finished the game and Kurt nodded. "Alright baby, let's go see what we can do for dinner," Kurt said and Marley just moved where she was asked to. She didn't speak. They were both on their feet and Kurt stood behind Marley. He put his arms around her body and then opened them up. She laid her forearms and hands on his, and laced their fingers together in a white knuckle grip. He very gently bumped his knees into the back of hers, one at a time, which was how they all helped her to walk.

"There's my baby girl," Santana smiled moving in close and giving Marley a tight hug. "I'm very proud of you love, do you think you can stand at the counter and watch Mommy measure out your food?" she asked and Marley nodded, but looked scared. "It's okay sweetheart, it's not going to be a lot. I know it's going to look like a lot, but it really isn't. Mama made her meatloaf, so let's cut that first and measure out four ounces," she said and Marley looked confused. "Here hold on to the counter and watch this number right here," Santana said tapping the digital display while Rachel covered the scale with some foil. Kurt slipped in behind Marley to help her support herself and Santana went into the drawer for a knife, moving the meatloaf in front of Marley.

"I know you're concerned sweetheart, so I'm going to hand you the knife and you cut, where you think four ounces is," Santana told her carefully handing her the butter knife to cut with. Rachel watched as she cut up a third of the meatloaf and kept quiet. It was good to know, Marley didn't understand proper measurement and she smiled at Santana. She was very proud of Santana for having Marley attempt it. They put the food on the scale and Marley's eyes almost bugged out of her head when it measured at nearly nine ounces. "Is that more or less than you need my love?" she asked. Marley wasn't up for talking, so she shook her head no and Santana didn't push. "Can you make it smaller?" she asked her. Marley cut off half the chunk and it came in at just over four ounces. "Can Mommy shave off the rest?" she asked her and Marley nodded handing her the knife.

Santana shaved it down to four ounces and then Rachel took the dish and made three other plates while Kurt continued to hold Marley and Santana moved to the broccoli and cheddar with parmesan. "Alright, here's the deal baby girl. We're going to measure out one whole cup, which is sixteen ounces. I know that sounds like a lot, but because it's all light, it's not as much as you think. I want you to see that I'm measuring out the one cup, and then we'll put it all on one plate, we'll all sit down and we can all eat dinner together. We haven't done that in a few nights," Santana said.

"What about Miss Beth?" Kurt asked.

She had to go to the club for an appointment, it's just the four of us," Santana said. Kurt nodded and watched as Santana measured out the food perfectly. Once it was done, the four sat down and Kurt put Marley between Rachel and Santana's chairs. Marley had to be supported on both sides, and they needed to make sure that she felt safe. Once they were seated Marley picked up her fork and carefully ate four tiny bites of her meatloaf and didn't touch her vegetables.

"Mommy," she said softly.

"Yes baby?" she asked.

"Done," she told her.

"I know you want to be done baby, but now we're at the part that you and I have both been not looking forward to. You have to finish. If you need a break, you can take it, we're going to continue to eat and if you're break is too long and I need to heat it up for your I will. You have to eat more. You only had four bites," she said.

"No Mommy, done," Marley insisted.

"Do you want one of us to feed you sweetheart?" Kurt offered. Maybe if they didn't make her feed herself it would go easier.

"No, done," she said.

"You aren't baby girl. Time to eat more," Santana said kindly and Marley sat there stubbornly, not eating and the three of them let it go. They engaged in general conversation and tried to get Marley to join in, but she started to wiggle and fuss. She didn't want to eat. Eating was bad, she was going to get very fat, very quickly, and then they were going to make her be an adult all the time and eventually make her live on her own.

"Mommy, done," she said to Santana.

"No baby. You aren't done. You have to eat more, and then you will be done. Mommy will feed you if you like," she offered kindly and Marley started to cry.

Santana was expecting this and so she took a deep breath and did her best to breathe and stay calm. She needed to show her she wasn't mad, that she understood, albeit only slightly, and that she was going to help her to get better. "Mommy done," Marley cried.

"Shhh, you can take your break if you need to baby. It's alright. Mommy isn't mad, but we can not leave the table until you finish what's on your plate," Santana said and Marley started to cry harder. They were getting rid of her. This was how it was going to happen. "Come on baby, I will feed you, it's okay," she told her.

"Mommy pee. Pee done," she pleaded getting more and more worked up.

"Shhh okay, okay, let's talk. This is not that much baby. This is very doable and you've eaten more than this before. You're perfectly okay sweetheart, I'm not mad. Come here," Santana said and she pulled her baby girl into her lap and Marley tried to make herself small, holding on to Santana's shirt with a death grip. "Shhh, you're okay baby girl. I will absolutely feed you honey, that's okay. I'm very proud of you for taking four bites all on your own. That was very good," Santana praised her. Marley shrunk down, so she was in a more cradle like position and Santana simply kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently from side to side. Kurt pushed the other chair near to Marley's feet and then had them rest upon it. Once that was done, he left the two alone while he and Rachel put away the left over food.

"I'm not mad baby, I'm not, but we just have to get you to eat more. Do you know why sweetheart?" she asked kindly and Marley just cried. "Shh, it's okay baby, I'm going to tell you. You've been working with Mr. Joe and you are so so so close to walking and every time you have a breakthrough, you end up in more pain. So I want to start you eating now, so that when you do have your break through you won't be in so much pain," Santana said.

"Pee Mommy," she said trying to make herself smaller and younger and she couldn't figure out how to do it. She was convinced they were going to force her to eat and then send her away. Everything seemed to be spinning out of control.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, come here," Santana said and she pulled her close and just rocked her. "Shhh, Mommy's here. I'm not letting go baby. Not until you tell me you want me to. I will be your Mommy for as long as you want me to sweetheart, and I don't know what's scaring you, but you definitely need to eat my love," Santana said, speaking softly.

Santana held her close and rubbed her back, waiting for her to calm down and it struck Santana that she could feel Marley's spine, even through her clothes, after all this time, so she carefully held up her hand and laced her fingers into Marley's. "Okay baby girl, let's have a little talk. You know how Big Girl Marly is nineteen?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Well Mommy is only twenty four. That's not that much older than her is it? That's only five years. So Mommy and Big Girl Marley should look a little bit alike shouldn't they?" she asked and Marley looked at her curiously. "Here's let's see," she said and unlaced their fingers. "Look at Mommy's hand for a minute. What do you see?" she asked her.

"Fingers," she said softly and Santana smiled, kissed the top of her head and praised her.

"Very good, now do you think Mommy has big fat fingers or are they okay for Mommy?" she asked her.

"No fat Mommy," she told her.

"Thank you," Santana smiled. "Let's look at your fingers baby girl. Do you see a difference?" she asked her and Marley studied her own fingers closely, noticing that her hand the same size as Santana's, but everything seemed weaker to her, thinner. She couldn't see her finger bones, or their outline, but there was a definite thinness to her hand and that struck a nerve with her. Every dirty word that Terri had ever called her came screaming back to her brain. Sick. Twisted. Dirty. Slut. Whore. No good. Fat. Piggy. On and on and on she heard them in her head until finally she couldn't take anymore and little tears started to trickle down her cheeks. Santana rocked her and soothed her, brushing away her tears with her thumbs.

"Mommy?" she asked and Santana looked at her, taking her hand and kissing her temple, letting her gather her thoughts, so she could formulate her question. "I sick?" she asked.

"You were sick. You had a very high fever, but your fever broke, so you're doing better," she said.

"I sick here?" she asked wiggling her hand.

"A little bit. You're just malnourished. Do you know what that word means?" Santana asked. This was where it always got tricky. Marley was nineteen and very smart. However at the moment, this was clearly Baby Marley and Santana was never sure what Baby Marley would and wouldn't admit to. Marley shook her head no and Santana gave her a kiss. "That's a very big word for my baby girl. I know, but I will teach you. It means that your body doesn't have all the nutrients in it that it needs. It's what makes you feel so much pain after therapy or when you have a muscle spasm. If you are malnourished you get a lot of pain sometimes in your body," she said.

"I fat," she told her.

"You are not fat my love. You are a beautiful baby girl and a beautiful young lady. You just are malnourished because a very mean lady was very cruel to you. That is why Mommy is insisting we do not leave this table until you eat. I will even feed you if you like," Santana told her. "We've also been sitting here for some time, so perhaps we should heat it up a little bit, and then get you to eat dinner," she said.

"I fat Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"I know you think that baby, but if that's true, which it isn't, then that means Mommy is really fat. Do you think that Mommy is really fat?" she asked her.

"No," Marley said shaking her head wildly and starting to fidget to get away.

"Shhh, you're okay baby. I'm not mad and you're right, I'm not fat, but neither are you. You are beautiful my love, and I want to help you to stay that way. In order to do that, you have to eat," Santana told her. "Mommy is going to sit you in your chair and heat up dinner and then you and I are going to sit down and get you to eat more," Santana told her. She covered her in kisses and set her down in her chair, took her plate and heated it up for thirty seconds. She took it out, sat down and picked up Marley's fork and mixed up the food, to let the heat distribute evenly. "Okay baby girl, who is going to feed my sweet beautiful Marley?" she asked. Marley simply looked at her and handed Santana the fork.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hello everyone,**

**For no other reason than the simple fact that I want to update. That's the only reason for a bonus chapter.**

**Warnings: Nothing graphic for this chapter. Marley has one little accident, but I wasn't descriptive about it. I never am though. You can all envision your own version of an accident.**

**As always thanks for the support and encouragement from NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008. **

**I hope that all those who read this chapter enjoy it, and please feel free, as always, to PM or review to ask questions or get better descriptions. If I can PM you back, I will MOST DEFINITELY answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.**

**Be well everyone.**

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><p>The next afternoon, Marley went to work with Santana and was very happy to see Susan. She gave her a hug and Susan commented on how lovely she looked in her white tank top and kelly green sweat pants. "Are you ready to come play with Nanny while Mommy goes to work?" she asked and Marley nodded.<p>

"Mmm, before we do that, we need to get set up and have a discussion my lovely girl," Santana said and Marley turned and gave her an adorable pout. "Put the lip away. Just because we are at work, doesn't change the rules, and I want to make sure that you and Nanny Susan hear all the rules all at the same time," Santana said kindly.

Susan grinned and lead the two of them to the nursery and Marley immediately fell to her knees and crawled over to the book case and rocking chair. Nanny Susan always read to her, so she was going to pick out her books. "Marley honey, pick out your books and then come over here," Santana said kindly. Marley did as asked and very carefully was helped to her feet. "Now, what was the rule Mommy talked about before we left Miss Beth's house?" she asked her kindly.

"Food," Marley said looking very bored and annoyed by this conversation.

"Very good," Santana said keeping her patience, "and what did Mommy say would happen while she was working?"

"I eat," she said.

"And how much do you have to eat?"

"Two bites," she sassed.

"Watch the attitude Missy," Santana said sternly and then she looked to Susan. "Marley has a snack bag. It is small. There are only ten almonds in there. She has to eat all of them," Santana explained. "Marley look at Mommy," she said said seriously and she waited for Marley to focus in on her. "Where do you want to eat your snack?" she asked her and Marley pointed to the adult version of a kids picnic table. "Alright, that's fine with me, but you will go to the table at two thirty, and you will not leave until you are finished with all your almonds. This is not up for discussion Marley. I want you to sit at the table and eat all your almonds. All of them. Do you understand?" Santana asked her and she had on a very firm tone, something that was only recent. However, Marley had more of an attitude now, so they had grown together.

"Yes Mommy," she answered automatically and Santana smiled and shook her head.

"Come here my little love," she said pulling her little girl tighter into her arms. "I love you so much baby, do you know that?" she asked. Marley nodded automatically and Santana carefully took her face. "No my baby girl, I mean it, I love you, with everything I am. I am so proud of you and all your hard work and successes. You are an amazing person," she told her.

"Thank you Mommy," Marley said snuggling into her for a moment.

"That being said, I also mean the following. If you give Nanny Susan a hard time about eating, she has my full permission to give you a time out," Santana said and Marley nodded, her smile falling slightly.

"Marley is the best behaved little girl I have ever met, I'm sure she will be fine," Susan said kindly.

"Still. I would like her to sit and eat at two thirty and follow instructions while I'm in my session," Santana told her.

"Mommy, you go way?" Marley asked and the happy little girl who was there moments ago was now on the verge of becoming a terrified little toddler.

"For a little while. This is just like every other time we come to the club," Santana told her gently, petting her hair and face, to give her the calm, warm, fuzzy feelings, she wanted her to keep while she was there. Marley did very well in the nursery no matter who she was with. Right now though, she was starting to look scared, and Santana had to work on calming herself, so Marley stayed calm as well.

"You know what Marley? Nanny got a new toy, it's called a speak and spell and it talks to you and you can play games on it. Shall we play with the new toy?"

"Oooh, new toys, we like those," Santana smiled. "We just ordered some new toys yesterday didn't we? What did we get? Do you remember?" Santana asked trying to pull Marley into the conversation and help her get into her "happy place".

"Um, bubba," she said with a smile.

"Yes, we got bubbles, and we got side walk chalk to draw with, because it's getting warmer outside," Santana smiled.

"Those are very fun toys," Susan smiled.

"An a piano Mommy," Marley said hugging herself closer to Santana. Suddenly she didn't want her to leave.

"Yes, we did. We found a very pretty keyboard to play on, so you and Mama can sing together," Santana smiled, petting Marley a little more firmly. This could go very badly, very quickly if Santana wasn't careful.

"Those sound like wonderful toys, you'll have to show them to me when you get them," Susan smiled. "But, guess what Nanny got, just for her baby Marley?" Susan said with what she hoped was excitement in her voice to get Marley curious. Susan walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a Disney coloring book as well as a brand new box of crayons. "I thought you and Nanny could color while Mommy is in session. This is a brand new book and the only little one to ever touch it will be Marley," she told her.

"Wow," Santana said happily and excitedly. "What do you say baby girl?"

"T'ank you Nanny," she said softly.

"You are very welcome my sweet girl," she said.

"Okay my sweet girl, you go play with Nanny Susan and eat your snack at two thirty like a good girl, and Mommy will be back soon okay?" she asked giving her a few kisses and Marley shook her head no. She didn't want Santana to leave. "I have to baby, but only for a little while," she told her and she very carefully passed her over to Susan. "Stay with Nanny Susan sweetheart, you're okay, I promise," she told her and Marley burst into tears. "Shhh, you're okay baby, and Mommy will be back, I just have to go for a little while," she told her gently.

"Go on dear, I will keep her safe, I promise," Susan said and with one last kiss, Santana went off to her session and Marley broke down into sobs. This was not right. It wasn't safe. Santana had left her. Yes she was with Nanny Susan, but Terri was still out there, and they'd left her unprotected. Terri was going to show up and take her and Santana wouldn't know how to find her. She was never going to see Santana, Rachel, or Kurt ever again. "Oh my goodness my love," Susan said kindly and she gathered Marley in her arms, surprised when Marley screamed and pushed herself away, dropping to the floor, and worming her way into a corner of the room where Susan couldn't reach her.

An hour later Marley's back locked out in spasm, but she didn't care. Thirty minutes after that, her foot fell asleep and she had pins and needles running up and down her leg, thigh, and buttock. Another ten minutes passed and Marley's body released everything it was holding on to. She'd felt it coming, but she didn't dare move. "Marley baby, I don't know why you are having such a hard time honey, but Nanny cannot leave you in a messy diaper until Mommy comes back, so I'm going to come over to you and help you to the changing table. Do you remember how it's just a little bench for you to lie down on, so Nanny can help you?" she asked talking kindly to her and moving closer. It was also nearing two thirty and while Susan knew Santana wanted Marley to eat, she also knew it wasn't going to happen like this. Susan took a few steps closer to Marley and Marley let out a terrified scream. It also sounded like Marley was in pain as well.

"Okay, okay," Susan said kindly. She didn't want to fight with Marley too much on this, but she really didn't want to leave her in a messy diaper for the next hour either. So she went to the door, picked up the phone and dialed the extension for Beth's office.

"Yes my dear lady?"

"I have a very troubled little girl on my hands," Susan said.

"Do you want me to come in?"

"I think she really needs Santana, but at this point she will settle for Rachel or Kurt as well. Any chance we can get either of them down here?" she asked.

"I will call the house and see what can be done, before calling you back," Beth smiled. She made the necessary phone calls and Kurt told her, he would be down there as soon as possible. Beth called back over to the Nursery and pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard Marley scream in the background. "Why are you letting that poor girl watch horror films?" Beth teased.

"Very funny," Susan smiled. "What news do you have for me?"

"Kurt is on his way over. He should be here rather quickly based on the time of day," she said.

"Thank you Miss Beth," Susan said and the two disconnected. "Okay Marley girl. I don't know if you can hear me, but we're going to get you help pretty soon," Susan said.

"Mommy!" Marley wailed.

"Soon sweet girl. Very soon, we just have to be patient for Mommy to get out of her session. Why don't you come over here toward Nanny my love. I can change you and make you feel at least more comfortable," she tried, but Marley shrieked and pulled away, wincing in pain as her back cramped up again.

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><p>Kurt made it to the club and Nicole lead him back to the nursery. He checked the clock and sighed. It was two forty five and he was really hoping that Marley had eaten already. Her body was still regulating and he was fairly sure that she'd be in pain if she hadn't eaten yet. He was absolutely correct. He walked into the nursery and found Marley crouched in the corner, screaming in pain.<p>

"Marley Rose!" Kurt said sternly, hoping to cut through the fog of her brain and pull her into the here and now where she would be more focused. "Marley Rose, you need to stop screaming right now my little love," he said seriously and he walked right over to her and she reached out for him, crying hard and trembling as she stretched her arms out. She knew who it was the moment she heard the new voice. She was trying to hold on to her surroundings, listening for something she knew, since when she usually got this upset, she couldn't hear anything.

Her entire body was shaking and he could feel how tight her back was. "Oh my goodness, what happened baby?" he asked her.

"Papa," she cried.

"Yes baby, Papa's here, you're okay," he told her and she shook her head no and held on to him so tightly that her back locked out again and she tried to ride out the spasm, but all that she managed to do was cry. "Breathe baby girl, I'm here, you're okay. Mommy will be here soon, and I think I know a little girl who needs to have her snack," he said.

"If I may darling, she needs to be changed before she eats," Susan said.

"Oh baby," Kurt sighed. He carefully helped Marley to her feet and hugged her tightly. "Marley, if Papa helps you to the bench over there, will you lay down so I can change you?" he asked her. She looked at him with pure fear but agreed. He was family, Nanny Susan wasn't, so as scared as she was that he might do something to her, she didn't trust Susan. It was the lesser of two evils as far as she was concerned. Kurt helped her over to the bench and then she laid down. She expected the heavy white bar, pain, roughness, and a lot of screaming to come her way. Instead Kurt started singing softly to her to help distract her. It wasn't working too well, but he made quick work of changing her and then carefully pulled her up into a seated position. She moved her legs over the edge and wrapped her them around his waist, hugging him, and crying hysterically against him while she put her head on his shoulder. The pain was radiating through her entire body now and she just wanted it to stop.

"Shhh," he soothed and he very carefully began working on her back, rubbing her body gently. Her muscles were completely rigid and he was trying to get her to calm down a little bit. "Okay Marley. You need to breathe with Papa and then you need to have your snack. I know it hurts, I can feel it, but you have to eat. It will help," he explained to her. Susan walked over and handed him the small baggie of almonds and he smiled. "Thank you," he told her and she nodded at him, backing away quietly. "You have a choice baby, do you want to eat them here, or should Papa and baby Marley sit in the nice rocking chair and cuddle while you eat?" he asked her. Her hand fished around a bit, working it's way up to his hand. She wasn't ready to talk, everything hurt too much, she just wanted him to hold her and never let go, even though she still wanted Santana.

She found his hand and searched for his middle finger. It was usually option number two, and even with her eyes closed she knew she had to choose this option. She needed to get off the bench as he called it, even though she knew it was the changing table. She had to get off of it, so she wrapped her fingers around his middle finger and didn't let go. It was option two. She wanted to sit in the rocking chair with him. He gave her the out. He gave her the chance to be Baby Marley, because he knew she needed it. He also knew she needed her Mommy and he desperately wished Rachel was here with him. She wasn't Mommy, but she was the next best thing. He was third on the list. It didn't bother him that that was the case. It did bother him, that in the current moment, no matter what he did, his baby girl was going to be upset.

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><p>Santana finished cleaning up her room and went into the bathroom to wash her hands and change her clothes. She took a moment for herself, sat down on the toilet and pulled out her phone. She had three new text messages. The first was from Rachel asking where everyone was. The second was from Kurt, saying he would be at the club and that he'd gotten a call from Beth. The third was from Rachel and it held slight panic. Santana texted Rachel a message that told her to calm down. Lady Hummel is here. Baby had a panic attack. Can you make dinner for tonight? Her phone buzzed moments later indicating dinner would be ordered from their favorite chinese restaurant.<p>

"What does Miss Beth like to eat?"

"Order her what you order me. We eat almost all of the same things at the same take outs. Put it on my credit card. I don't want you paying while we're at Miss Beth's house."

"I can handle it."

"Yes you can, but not for the next few days. End of discussion." Santana tucked her phone back into her bag, put on clean clothes and went into the nursery, not sure of what she was going to find. She walked in quietly to find Kurt in the rocking chair and Marley curled up tight against him.

"Last one baby girl," he told her gently and he very carefully put it to her lips and she opened them to eat it. She wiggled for a moment and then settled down and Kurt shifted her a little bit. "Should Papa rub your back some more?" he asked her. "Your muscles are still very tight," he told her and she nodded tiredly.

Santana waited while Marley shifted so she was seated in Kurt's lap, her body resting against his, her chin resting on his shoulder, her back to the door, and then Santana moved further into the room. She walked over to the rocking chair and sat down on the matching ottoman that also rocked and fell into a rhythm with Kurt. He didn't say anything. He wanted Marley to realize it for herself, the same way she had realized he walked into the room. "Papa," she whispered tiredly. "Owies," she told him honestly.

"Should Papa rub your back a little bit to make it better?" he offered her and she nodded. "Alright my sweet girl. I will gladly do anything I can to help you feel better," he told her.

"Papa, Mommy, pee, I wan' Mommy," she pleaded. Her back was killing her and Kurt was good as massaging it, but Marley wanted her Mommy. She wanted to be Santana's baby girl. She didn't want anything other than that, because when she was with Santana she felt safe and protected. She'd felt that from day one, all those days ago, when she first met Santana in the hospital.

Kurt looked at Santana for a moment and she shook her head no and made a hand signal for him to keep talking. She was hoping that he could get her to open up a little more. "Mommy's pretty great, isn't she?" he asked and for the first time in a very long time, he saw Santana blush while Marley nodded. "Why do you miss Mommy so much sweetheart? Can you tell me?" he asked her.

"Mommy safe," she said quietly.

"Mommy makes you feel safe?" he asked and she nodded and wiggled a little bit, into a more comfortable position. He rubbed her muscles directly and she let out a soft and happy sigh. "What else is good about Mommy?" he asked her.

"No hitting," she said softly.

"Yes, that is true. Mommy thinks that hitting you is wrong. I've heard Mommy tell you before that you are too special to be hit. Did you get hit a lot?" he asked.

"Only da bad peoples," she said softly, her eyes closing and exhaustion started to take over her body.

"Do you think you're with bad people now?" he asked.

"Mommy good. Mommy safe. Mommy 'tect me," she said tiredly.

He wanted to ask her if she knew the difference between a simple hitting and a beating. He had been spanked as a kid. He knew Santana was, she'd been very open about it, about everything, even if he and Rachel didn't want to hear it. He wasn't sure about Rachel. In the current moment though, he just wanted to know if Marley understood the difference, but with the rocking and her now full belly, she was resting against him and snoring softly.

Santana let out a little laugh once she realized Marley was truly sleeping and smiled at Kurt. "Who called you?" she asked.

"Miss Beth," he said.

"Where was Susan?" she asked.

"Susan was here when I walked in, but our baby girl was hysterical and I think Susan was afraid to touch her," he said.

"She's usually hysterical," Santana grouched.

"Not like this Santana. This was like that time she came out of the shower with you and wouldn't stop screaming, only this time she was screaming in pain," he explained.

"You stay here, with her, keep her resting for as long as you can, and thank you for getting her to eat, relatively on time," she said and then she left the room.

* * *

><p>Santana marched down the hall. She wasn't really prepared for this, but there were a mountain of feelings piling up inside her and she needed to get them out, so she barged into Beth's office, and slammed her hand on the desk. "Why are you breaking my kid!" she growled protectively.<p>

"Santana, you are on very thin ice," Beth told her just as sternly.

"I don't care. That is my kid. I put her in your care. You are the person responsible for this staff, so why is my kid freaking out!" she barked and before she could even feel a hint of satisfaction, she found herself bare assed over Beth's desk on the receiving end of a spanking. She put up a fuss and kicked and screamed and tried to wiggle away, which just earned her more, but she knew this.

"I don't know what has gotten into you Santana, but I will never put up with blatant disrespect!" Beth scolded as she continued to lay into Santana, spanking her bare bottom, turning the already tanned skin a dark shade of pink.

Santana continued to kick and scream, struggling, knowing it wasn't going to do any good, but she was putting up a fight and getting out a lot of pent up frustration and the stinging slaps were her punishment for failing Marley. Two minutes later Beth pulled out her hairbrush and gave Santana ten solid whacks on each cheek. Each one sent a jolt of some type of electricity through Santana's body and by the end of the twenty smacks, she was in tears and on her knees at Beth's feet.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask. I'm sorry I was rude, thank you for punishing me, and I'm sorry I failed Marley. I don't know what else to do," she panted, forcing out all the words she wanted to say and then she fell into the same heart breaking sobs, that Marley had from time to time.

Beth kept Santana in place and guided Santana's head to her lap, petting her hair and soothing her emotions as best she could. "You know that I should spank you further for causing such a scene instead of just asking for what you needed," Beth said simply.

"I didn't know how else to do it," Santana said sniffling a little bit. "And I couldn't ask for it, because it's weird to ask to get spanked for something to me," Santana said.

"Look at me my darling. You think you failed Marley. Why?" she asked and Santana brushed away her tears.

"She's so broken. She wants to live in little girl world, pretty much all the time. I really don't have a problem with that, but I can't make it clear to her that if she doesn't put in the work and listen to the rules she's never going to heal."

Beth took in everything Santana was saying, while petting her hair and rubbing her upper back gently and Santana was perfectly content to keep her head in Beth's lap and be calmed. "What rules does she not follow?" Beth asked kindly.

"She's not eating. We can see her ribs and her spine when we give her a bath at night. Her muscles and her body need the nourishment and nutrients to get her well. She's so close and she has been doing nothing but fighting us on it."

"When did you enlist this rule?"

"Last night I insisted she be a part of it, and in the beginning all she did was fight me," Santana said.

"Was she naughty enough to require whatever it is that you do?"

"Time outs. I can't spank her. She's been beaten too much and while my spanking her isn't a beating, I don't want to frighten her. And no, she didn't," Santana said.

"So you're upset that you couldn't get her to do exactly as you asked after a few minutes?" Beth asked kindly.

"It was four hours between when we told her and when we all sat down to dinner."

"Honey, I want you to listen to me very carefully please. Marley, right now, and last night, Marley is a baby girl. Your baby girl. You are her Mommy, and she knows it. She believes that she is yours as much as she believes that the sky is blue. What you say goes, and eventually she does follow your rules, but like all babies, they give their Mamas a hard time to start," Beth said. "You have to give her and you some time, and you have to stop being so hard on yourself. You Rachel and Kurt are the best things to ever happy to that little girl," Beth said.

"She's not walking, she's back to not speaking, she isn't sleeping right, and she just recovered from a fever. She was never sick in the hospital, but in my care, she was," Santana whined.

"Santana," Beth said taking Santana's chin and making them look eye to eye with each other. "Sweetheart, look at me please," she said kindly brushing away Santana's tears with her thumbs. Santana took a breath and looked at Beth. "Sweetheart, you have done wonders for Marley, and I mean that. You helped her heal her mouth so she could speak again. You kept her going to therapy so that she would become mobile and now she is. No, she isn't walking yet, but she is crawling, she does try things, she's getting there my darling, but you can't expect months of abuse to be fixed overnight. I know it's cliche, but it is absolutely the truth. You aren't failing her my love," Beth said and Santana couldn't help it, she broke down into tears. As far as she was concerned, Marley was her charge, her baby, her person to look after and she was convinced, she wasn't giving Marley her best efforts. What was worse, was that she didn't know how to make it better.

* * *

><p>It had been two days now and Beth told her visitors that they were allowed to go back to their home, it was now equipped with a top of the line security system. "You my darlings, will be very safe, in your own home," Beth had explained to them. It took about an hour to gather all of their things and then Beth had the limo driver take them home.<p>

Marley was pretty scared the entire time, but between her 'parents' they managed to get her upstairs and to the front door of their house with minimal fuss. She did however stand next to Rachel, face buried from the world while they tapped in the key code to the alarm. She didn't feel very comfortable and she was now craving reassurance from her 'parents' like she never had craved it before. Even when they went to Beth's house, she wasn't this scared. Knowing full well that Terri had been here, looking for her. That was what scared her the most.

"Okay big girl, come on," Rachel said gently and she went to turn Marley around so they could walk into the house together, the way they always helped Marley walk anywhere. Marley however, squealed and started to shake, pushing herself further into Rachel, her grip becoming knuckle white. "Come on sweetheart, the house is very safe. Miss Beth would not have sent us back here if it wasn't," Rachel said kindly and she tried again.

Santana watched for a moment and then moved in close. "Marley baby, it's okay. We're going to go in and have a snack, and watch tv. It's been a very tense morning for you and Mr. Joe is coming by later for therapy. We're just going to rest in our house, where we are safe," Santana told her.

Marley didn't want to look, but she loosened her grip slightly and the three girls went inside while Kurt made a list of what was needed at the grocery store. They had Marley sit on the couch and she curled up into Rachel. She didn't want to go through today. It was a lot of change and familiarity, all at the same time. She also wasn't sure she wanted to be a little girl or a big girl today and she was never sure what her family wanted. Sometimes she wasn't even sure they considered themselves her family. She'd told her story to the police, so it was only a matter of time before they got rid of her. Telling her story meant she could process things in her own brain, heal and move forward. No one ever told her if moving forward meant she'd be on her own again and she didn't know how to ask it either.

She sat on the couch curled into Rachel and Santana finally walked over with a bottle of water. "At least half baby," she told her kindly and Marley started to protest immediately, but only through whining, rather than any actual verbal communication. "That's not something I understand baby, use your words and help me out," she told her taking off the cap and handing Marley the bottle, but Marley whined and pushed it away. "Ah, ah, ah, we talked about this. You need to do this. You need to help your body get stronger, so you have to drink. Little sips while you watch tv with Mama," Santana said.

"Nooo," Marley whined.

"Would you rather Mommy put it in a cup?" Santana tried. If Marley was just being stubborn then there was nothing Santana could really do, except just be as patient and loving as possible. If she was starting to freak out about something then she had to communicate it so Santana could help her. Marley shook her head no and Santana sighed. "You have to drink baby. You can drink it out of the bottle it's in, or I can put it in a cup. that's your call, but you are going to drink," Santana told her and again Marley whined. "If you don't follow the rules baby, you lose tv for the rest of the afternoon. Marley's eyes got wide. Santana wasn't one to take stuff away if she didn't listen, but apparently that was an option now and Marley wondered what else Santana would take away if she didn't listen. Thinking it would be basic necessities like food and clothes and shelter, Marley's brain went into overdrive. She looked questioningly at Santana and knew she couldn't ask the burning question she had inside her now.

If Santana was going to take away tv for not listening, what else would she take away? Would she keep her in diapers forever, would she force her to be naked a majority of the time, would she take away her speech again. Sometimes Marley wondered why they even let her get it back. She barely spoke to anyone on her really bad days, but they never scolded her for it. "Little sips Marley," Santana told her jolting her out of her thoughts.

Marley reluctantly took a small sip and then handed the bottle back to Santana. "Thank you baby girl," she said leaning in and giving her a kiss to her temple. Marley then fell into Rachel and Rachel was happy to cuddle her tight. "You cuddle with Mama until Mr. Joe gets here, and I want at least half the bottle gone by the time he does okay? Little sips over and over," Santana told her kindly. Then she stood up, kissed her forehead again and then headed to the kitchen to prepare some type of snack for when Marley was done with therapy.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the door and Marley immediately cowered next to Rachel and started shaking. "Shhh, it's Mr. Joe baby, he's here for therapy," Rachel explained but Marley didn't believe her. Terri was around, or at least had been around and none of them had been informed as to what was happening with Terri. All Marley knew was that the place she thought was safe, wasn't, so she and her care takers were sent away to someone else's house for three days, and then was brought back to her house. Her entire world was turned upside down in three days.<p>

Santana went to the door and let Joe in and spoke quietly. "I hope it's a simple session, she is completely out of her mind today," she said. Joe gave her a curious look and Santana sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "We had to leave for three days because Terri was here, looking for her," she said and his eyes went wide. "I want to keep things as routine for her as possible," she said.

"Speaking as a professional," he said cautiously. "Get her a therapist, and fast," he told her and went further into the room and smiled, putting on a happy demeanor and speaking to her as he always did. "Marley my girl! Are you ready for therapy today?" he asked her.

"Mommy stay?" she asked him.

"Absolutely. Mommy can stay," he smiled. She nodded at him and took his hand when he offered it to her. "Come on, we're going to try walking today," he told her.

"No!" she shouted at him.

"Marley Rose!" Santana scolded. "Apologize now!"

"No walk Mommy," she said calmly.

"Apologize," Santana said.

"Sorry," she told Joe and then she looked to Santana. "No walk Mommy, no" she said.

"Why baby? Why do you not want to walk?" Santana asked, softening a great deal. Marley did as asked, so she couldn't continue to scold her.

"Owies," she said with a pout.

"Only if you delay it. If you do everything Mr. Joe says, and you make sure you eat like Mama, Papa, and I say, I promise you baby, you will not have any pain," Santana said.

"Owies Mommy," she said sadly.

"Only if you don't follow instructions sweetheart. I know you're scared, and it's okay to be scared, but if you do what Mr. Joe says, and eat like Mommy says, then you won't have any pain, I promise," Santana told her.

"Owies," she said softly and Santana wrapped her in a hug.

"Marley, do you know how much Mommy loves you?" she asked her gently and Marley didn't respond. "Well I'm going to tell you then," Santana said. "Marley Rose, you are my little girl, no matter what age you are. The thing about Mommies though is they are a little bit annoying. They make sure their children eat what they're supposed to, clean them up when they need to be, and punish them when they are naughty. I know that you are scared, and I know that you really don't want to do this today, and I know that you're having trouble with all the new surroundings we've been dealing with these last three days, but I still love you. I still want what's best for you, because that is what all good Mommies want for their children, to succeed and be happy. We're working on the succeeding thing, and every day all I ever want is for you to be happy," she explained.

Marley let the tears fall and looked into Santana's eyes. They were so sincere and she couldn't find any motive behind her words. All Marley saw were the eyes of a woman who truly, oddly somehow, cared for her and she was someone Marley learned to trust. She'd learned to trust her the very first day when Santana rubbed lotion on her hands. "What do I do?" Marley finally asked Joe.

"Well if you want Mommy to stay, she can hold you up. We'll start with balance, like we've been practicing and then I just want two steps. One with each foot. So let's start with balance. Mommy can help you to start. Once you're ready, Mommy will take her hands off for five seconds and we're going to progress slowly. Marley nodded and got ready, preparing herself for what was about to happen. Then she nodded at Santana who removed her hands for five seconds and Marley balanced very well. Santana put her hands back on her body and Santana praised her while kissing her temple repeatedly. "That was wonderful Marley. Four more times, just like that," Joe smiled.

After she finished Joe praised her heavily and smiled. "Okay, now I want you to move your left foot forward. I'm going to hold you and not let go while you move. Once you're set and stable then I will let go," he explained.

"Big space?" she asked looking down at her feet.

"No honey, just a small one. Here. Put your toe by mine and that will be enough," he told her. She did as asked and wobbled side to side while her body tried to stay upright.

"I'm right here honey," Santana told her kindly.

"It's just like every other time Marley. Your muscles were kept in the same position for a great deal of time, so they have atrophied, my job is to change that. It takes time though, but I want you to know how well you are doing and you are doing exceptionally well," he told her.

She didn't feel like she was doing exceptionally well though. Crawling was how she got around on her own. If she walked it was because she had at least one person, if not more, supporting her entire weight and moving her body. The only thing she could do on her own right now was feed herself and lately she just didn't want to do that. She wasn't sure why she didn't want to, she just knew she didn't. She was feeling depressed and while she knew what she was feeling, she didn't want to communicate this to anyone.

* * *

><p>Therapy progressed and just before they finished, Joe picked up Santana's phone and moved over toward Rachel. "Go stand by Marley please," he said and Rachel did as asked. "Alright then girls, here's the deal. Marley dear, you're about to take your very first new steps, and all on your own. Your Mommies are right next to you, but they are not going to hold you. They are going to be close to you, do you understand the difference?" he asked her kindly and she nodded at him.<p>

"I'm sorry, can we give her a barrier please?" Santana asked and Marley looked at her in shock. Why would Santana do that? Why would she ask to change Mr. Joe's rules. Mr. Joe was making Marley walk on her own and now Santana was trying to stop that. Marley was so confused.

"Define the barrier," Joe said kindly.

"If Rachel and I just hold hands, at least she'll be surrounded by us, so if she starts to topple any which way, we can catch her," she said. After a moment Joe agreed and she and Santana joined hands, effectively encasing Marley in a small circle.

"Ring around the rosie," Rachel started to sing.

"Rachel is annoying," Santana sang. She wasn't in the mood for antics right now. She was actually pretty scared for Marley, but she leaned in and kissed Marley's temple. "Whenever you are ready my sweet girl," she told her and stood back to let Marley try, but Marley looked up at Joe and started to cry and shake her head. She was standing still on her own, not holding on to anything, or anyone, but she was convinced one step and she would be done for.

"It's alright Marley," he told her and she cried harder. This was incredibly hard for both Rachel and Santana, but Marley had to learn. Joe walked over to them and gently pushed Rachel and Santana closer so Marley didn't panic. "Shhh, it's okay, maybe Mr. Joe moved to fast," he said kindly. "Here hold on to their shoulders, it will help you more," he told her and she put a death grip on each of them.

"You're okay baby, I'm here, Mommy's here and we would never let anything bad happen to you," Rachel told her kindly, hoping to help her out some more.

"Mommy," she cried and instantly burst into tears. Rachel took her hips to steady her and Santana wrapped her in a hug and her tears became heart wrenching sobs. She'd been in therapy for an hour so far today, just practicing balance and movement. She'd been in therapy for months and nothing was getting better. She was so frustrated and done with the entire thing, she didn't know what to do any more. She simply fell into Santana and cried.

"Shhh, I'm right here baby," Santana soothed, keeping her close and rubbing her back.

"You know what Marley, you did really well. Therapy is over for today. Tomorrow we will try again," Joe said kindly and he left for the day.


	32. Chapter 32

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you had a wonderful week. I am actually supposed to spend the day with some friends, so I wanted to get this up, before I did that. I very much hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Warnings: Marley's still a wreck. I KNOW and BELIEVE she needs a phsycotherapist of some kind. I'm working on it. I want to make sure what I write is fairly accurate. **

**Bonus Point - There is are two surprise NEW & PERMANENT characters. One shows up in this chapter and there is mention of the other one. A lot of you must have planted the seed, but it took THIS LONG to figure out where to put one of the said characters. **

**I will say, I've read over this chapter twice now. When I wrote it, in my head, it made perfect sense. If anyone has any confusion with it, please feel free to PM me, or leave it in the review, so I can better explain it.**

**As always, many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. I also want to thank everyone who has sent me PM's, and given reviews. **

**Happy reading to all of you.**

* * *

><p>Two hours later Santana was on the couch, holding a calmer Marley. Rachel let them be for as long as possible. When she noticed the time, she went to the kitchen and pulled out Marley's snack, which were simple slices of cheese and grapes. Santana felt Marley squirm and she moved to stretch out a bit. Once Santana had her legs out in front of her on the couch, Marley fell forward, sinking down a bit. She put her head on Santana's chest, curling her legs under herself and turning her head so that she could at least see Rachel.<p>

"Hey there baby girl," Rachel smiled. "Are you ready for your snack?" she asked.

"I sorry Mama," she whimpered, pressing her ear further into Santana's chest, to try and find her heartbeat.

"What are you sorry for baby girl? You didn't do anything wrong," Rachel told her and she fed her a small slice of cheese. "You have been so good and brave these last few days. Mama is so proud of you, and I know Mommy and Papa are too," Rachel said kindly.

"We are baby," Santana said kindly and kissed the top of her head.

"I know you are frustrated baby girl and I know you are still scared of what's to come, but you have done so well," Rachel told her hoping to reiterate her point and have it stick with Marley as she fed her. "Such a good girl our Marley is," Rachel praised as she fed her another grape. After she finished her entire snack, with no complaining, Rachel and Santana lavished her with praise. "You know what my love? Mommy has to go take care of some emails, how about you and Mama play on the floor with your new piano," Rachel suggested and Marley gave a soft smile and then it faded.

"Mommy?" she asked and every bit of her voice held the same panic Santana had heard before. Marley was attached to her Mommy and didn't want her to leave, ever.

"I'm not leaving baby girl, I just have to do some work on my computer. I think it's a very good idea that you play with Mama," she told her.

"I good Mommy, I good," Marley said panting immediately. She couldn't do anything right and this was proof. She'd eaten her entire snack, with no arguments and yet Santana was still leaving her.

"Shhh, of course you're a good girl Marley, Mommy is so proud of you," she told her and Marley looked afraid.

"I good, I good, I good," she cried.

Santana sighed heavily and shifted slightly, pulling Marley to her. "Shhh, yes you are baby, you are a very good girl. You are Mommy's best girl," she told her.

"Mommy stay, I good," she cried and Santana took a deep breath.

"Okay love bug, okay, Mommy's here, you're safe, it's okay," she assured her and Marley continued to cry, holding on tight and trembling. "My sweet baby girl, you did so good today. You had a good breakfast, and then you ate all your snack and you didn't complain, and you had most of your lunch, and cuddled with Mama, and then you had therapy with Mr. Joe and ate all of your second snack. You did so good today baby girl. Mommy is so so proud of you," Santana said and Rachel stayed back. It was very clear, Marley needed her Mommy, and if Rachel was being honest, she was enjoying seeing this side of Santana. Santana had on this very sweet, grandmotherly type, sing song voice, and it was only ever used when Marley was this young minded and obviously frightened. Rachel had only heard it one other time.

"Come on princess, let's sit down together. We'll sit down and play piano with Mama," she said taking a seat on the floor and guiding Marley to her lap. "Come on baby, let's play piano with Mama," she said and Marley whimpered and curled herself into Santana's body, burring her face in her Santana's chest. "Shhh, come on, let's ask Mama to come play," Santana encouraged and Marley just whimpered and cried.

Rachel moved over toward them and took a seat across from them, with the piano near by. "How many emails do you have to do?" Rachel asked.

"My last count was only two," she said.

"How long does it take?"

"It depends on what they want done," Santana said rocking slightly, side to side with Marley in her arms.

"Marley baby, will you come sit with Mama?" Rachel asked her and Marley started shrieking, forcing her body into Santana, her grip getting tighter, nails digging into Santana's skin, even through her clothes.

"Oh my goodness, what's the matter, my baby," Santana cooed softly and adjusted Marley so she was in a cradle like position. She held her tight and made sure that every exposed nerve ending had pressure on it. Even going so far as to tip her head down so her lips were pressed to Marley's forehead and she kept them there, murmuring softly. "Shhh, Mommy's here baby girl, Mommy's here, you're safe," Santana said gently.

It only took thirty seconds for Marley to calm down and then she stayed cuddled tight into Santana. "You know what baby, I bet if you let Mama hold you, she would play piano with you," Santana bargained, her voice still holding that very delicate tone.

"Mommy, I good," she whimpered.

"Of course you are baby. You're a very good girl my baby. You're Mommy Santana's baby and Mama Rae's baby, and Papa Kurt's baby, aren't you?" Santana cooed softly and Marley nodded, but repeated over and over again that she was a good girl. She was off in her head somewhere and Santana had no idea where she was, or how to pull her out of it.

Rachel picked up on it too though, so she moved in very close and began to sing softly. "Where is thumbkin, where is thumbkin, here I am, here I am, how are you today sir, very well I thank you, run a-way, run a-way," she sang and Santana gave a kind smile. Rachel was trying and she was using ever "tool" she could think of, "tools" they knew Marley worked well with. First, she put on a higher, softer voice, secondly, she began to sing, she added in the proper hand movements for the song, and lastly, she got so close and so near that Marley was forced to focus. Marley wouldn't dare close her eyes, they knew that for sure, that brought too many memories of Marley's torturous time with Terri.

"Will you sing with Mama?" Rachel asked her gently, brushing Marley's hair back out of her eyes. "Will you baby? Should we try again? Let's try. Mama will be the first one and Marley can be the second one," she said gently and she tried again. "Where is thumbkin," Rachel sang softly, moving her hand to be the first person and Santana took Marley's hand moving it to mirror Rachel's.

"Where is thumbkin," Santana sang softly moving Marley's other hand. Santana was hoping that if she got involved it would help pull Marley into the game as well.

"Here I am."

"Here I am," Santana sang, but Rachel saw Marley's lips moving, so they were getting through to her at least.

"How are you today sir?"

"Very well I thank you."

"Run a way."

"Run a way," Santana sang, but just below her voice were the very soft and sweet tones of Marley's voice. Rachel glanced up at Santana and she nodded to keep going.

"Where is pointer?"

"Whe' i' poin-ta," Marley sang and Rachel and Santana both beamed. It may have been toddler speak, but at least Marley was speaking. As long as she spoke, they were very happy with her.

"Here I am," Rachel sang, her voice much higher than Santana thought it would be.

"Hewe I am," Marley parroted.

"How are you today sir."

"How ah you ta-day sa," Marley copied and Santana and Rachel simply grinned. Marley was copying, which was fine with them, at least she was engaged. It wasn't exactly how the song went, but if she was interacting with them, who cared.

"Very well I thank you," Rachel sang for her and Marley babbled something that was not intelligible at all, but they ignored it and kept going. "Run a way."

"Un a way," Marley smiled.

"Yaaaay Marley," Rachel praised and she gently leaned a bit closer, cupped Marley's face in her hands and kissed her forehead. "Such a good girl we have," she gushed and praise after praise, she kissed her way down the slope of Marley's nose and when she pulled back, Marley was all smiles. "My good baby girl, I'm so proud of you. You sang so nicely, should we play music together on the piano?" she asked her kindly. "Should we sit together and play piano?" she asked her in a high pitched, way too happy voice and Marley looked up at Santana with uncertainty etched on her face.

"Hi baby girl," Santana smiled, leaning in to nuzzle her gently. "Do you want to play piano with Mama? You can, I won't stop you," she assured her and Marley carefully reached for Rachel, willing to sit in her lap, but she kept looking up to see Santana. She had to see her Mommy. If Santana left, she would die, she was sure of it. "Sit with Mama baby, and Mommy will be right back. I'm going to do my work right here while you play," she said and Marley started to cry all over again.

"Oh baby girl, it's okay," Rachel said and she rocked her back and forth. "Shhh, Mommy's coming, Mommy had to get her computer. She'll be right back baby," she told her and as soon as Santana returned, Marley practically threw herself at Santana, wailing in fear and a small amount of pain, needing her Mommy.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay, Mommy's here," she assured her and held her close and rubbed her back. "Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay baby girl," she told her and her heart broke. Marley was having a terrible afternoon. Santana could see that her memories were taking over her brain and she was having a hard time shaking them.

* * *

><p>Santana finally got Marley to calm down and take a nap. While she slept, Santana took care of her emails. As she finished hitting send for her last email to her client, her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and frowned. The club was calling. They never called. "This is Miss Rivers," she answered and immediately Rachel went on edge. Something was definitely up.<p>

"Hello my darling girl," Beth smiled. "Do you have some time and how is Marley?"

"Marley is about two years old, she's napping, and I'm concerned. You almost never call me from the office," Santana said honestly.

"We have a few issues going on sweetheart," she said, not beating around the bush. Santana sighed and Beth simply continued. "Firstly, Terri has been arrested and is being held without bail, secondly Dr. Isabelle is going to be Marley's therapist, she is my cousin, and so she is very sensitive to your particular situation. Lastly, Terri got her hands on one more person before she applied here and Dr. Martinez called me, this afternoon to inform me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, back up. say that again," she requested politely.

"Which part darling?" Beth asked.

"All of it, but especially the part about Dr. Martinez," she said and Rachel stopped what she was doing and looked at Santana with wide, panicked eyes.

"Dr. Martinez is treating a young man named Noah who was brought in for dehydration, hypothermia, genital abuse, physical abuse, and muscular trauma."

"Fuck!" Santana hissed. "I'm sorry Miss, I am, but she can't keep doing this to people," Santana said tears springing to her eyes. "It's hard enough dealing with Marley sometimes. She has her mood swings and needs her Mommy to hold her and if there is another one who is going through all of that, I mean, what am I going to do? I'm not anyone's biological Mommy. I don't even know how to do this with Marley, and I feel like you're getting ready to ask me take on Noah as well. I can't let him suffer, but it's going to be so much work for him and ten times harder for Marley. Are you sure I'm the right fit for him?" Santana babbled. As she did, Rachel began making mental notes and then texted Kurt to come home as soon as he possibly could.

"Santana my love, they share a lot in common, it's why I went to you first. The other thing is, that the sooner she talks to Dr. Isabelle, the sooner things will be easier for you at home."

"Our house is too small as it is, what am I going to do?" she asked with panic and Beth spoke kindly.

"Darling. Before I even introduce you to Noah, we would work all of this out, but if you are really set against it, I can talk to Quinn and see what she says."

"Wait, Quinn? Is she new?" Santana asked.

"Yes, she is. She just moved here last month, she's been training with Susan for the last few days, she's going to be Auntie Quinn to any of the little ones who come in. Originally I would have gone to her first, but the problem is that she looks far too much like Terri for me to place Noah with her."

"I thought Dianna was our new Nanny-in-training person."

"She was, however she didn't work out and Quinn was a recent applicant from upstate, who is doing very well."

"Quinn does everything well," she thought to herself. Santana closed her eyes for a moment, turned around and snapped her fingers at Rachel to grab her attention. "I'm going out on a limb here. Auntie Quinn Fabray?" she asked and Rachel's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Santana nodded at Beth's confirmation.

"Only the two of you could find a similar job with the same company," Rachel said shaking her head slightly and went back to fixing dinner.

"Do you two know each other?"

"Yes, we all went to high school together," Santana answered honestly.

"Alright, well how uncomfortable are you with this whole set up then?" Beth asked.

"Quinn and I get along fine. We can fight for the same cause as a team so I don't have a problem with any of that. I don't want her alone with Marley until she's been properly introduced though and if she really does look like this Terri woman then I have no choice but to take Noah on," Santana said. "Unless he can have a Daddy," Santana said hopefully, knowing full well there were two Masters at the club who would make wonderful Daddies to this poor little boy. "Wait how old is this boy?" she asked.

"Seventeen."

"He's not even legal!" Santana shouted in surprise and hurt. It was killing her to know that Terri had caused severe trauma to another human and she could only imagine how bad it was with Noah. She knew how bad it was and could have gotten to be when it came to Marley.

"Stop yelling darling," Beth said sternly, but her voice was kind and gentle. She knew it was a lot to ask of Santana and it was a lot to ask of her roommates as well. Beth was just trying to do the best she could with the options she had. "And to answer your other question, no he is not ready for a Daddy yet. He was emancipated at twelve, because his father raped him for two years and his mother was a raging alcoholic," Beth explained. "We're getting little bits and pieces from him at the hospital. He keeps asking for water to rinse his mouth with, but I'm not so sure that he even knows if he wants a Mommy." she continued.

"So he can talk?"

"Not well, but yes he can. His mouth is severely infected."

"Vinegar?" she asked, almost hopefully. The vinegar sores could be healed, Santana saw it first hand. She didn't want to think what other type of infection although her brain was coming up with a million different thoughts. None of them were pleasant.

"No my darling. He doesn't use pacifiers. He was tortured in a different way than Marley was."

"Mmmm," she growled softly. "I don't want to know then."

"You don't have to. I will spare you the details, however, if you do decide to take Noah on, even if it's for a little while, there are going to be key points that you need to enforce. We will go over those when the time comes though," Beth said.

"Marley comes first, she has to. When she wakes up from her nap, I will talk to her, but I have to put her first. I can't let her think that she's being replaced," Santana said sadly.

"Alright darling, alright, call me when you have all discussed it, as a family, Rachel and Kurt included," Beth told her.

"Yes ma'am," she said and they disconnected.

Rachel looked at Santana and the two held the other's gaze for a long moment, almost in a battle of wills. Santana was trying to figure out how to put it into words, and Rachel was trying to figure out when she should say anything at all. They didn't have to say anything to each other at all though, because very shortly there after Kurt walked into the house and Marley was heard crying in the other room. They all rushed to her and with tears streaming down her face, she lunged for Santana holding on tightly and trembling.

"I good Mommy, I good," she wailed.

"Shhh, Mommy's here baby, and yes, you are good, you are very good," Santana soothed her and both Kurt and Rachel saw her trembling. "Come on baby girl, let's lay down and get you changed. Time to get all clean. Mommy will change you and you'll feel better, I promise sweetheart," Santana told her.

She laid her down on the bed and when she stood up Marley began wailing. "Mommy!" she screamed.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, it's okay. Mommy's right here, you're okay," she told her as she moved around the room and gathered her supplies.

"Mommy, mommy!" she screamed, over and over again, the entire time Santana changed her diaper.

"Shhh, okay little girl, okay, Mommy's here, you're okay," she soothed and she rocked her little girl in her arms until Marley calmed herself. "Shhh, there's my good girl, there she is," Santana told her and she continued to rock her in her lap while she worked on getting Marley calmer.

"Mommy," she said softly.

"What baby? What's wrong? You can tell Mommy anything you want to, you know that," Santana assured her. "But you're Mommy's sweet baby girl and Mommy's right here for you, I promise you sweetheart," she said.

"Mama," Marley whimpered.

"Mama's here honey," Rachel said and without understanding why it was happening, Marley crawled into Rachel's lap once she sat down and began wailing all over again. "Oh my goodness baby girl, what's the matter? Did you have bad dreams?" Rachel asked her gently.

"Mama!" she wailed.

"I'm here baby, Mama's here, you're okay," Rachel assured her. Santana rubbed Marley's back, gave her a kiss, and then kissed Rachel's cheek. She whispered something in her ear and then Santana took Kurt into the other room and explained everything Beth had explained to her earlier.

"When did she get like that though?" Kurt asked. "Marley hasn't been that hysterical, in I can't remember how long, if ever," he said. "Those cries are very different from the ones she did the other day at the club and a few weeks ago when she came out of the shower," he commented.

"She's been at it all afternoon and now I have this new information. Before we continue to worry about her, and we will, tell me what you think about Noah please," Santana said.

"I think he needs help and I think if Beth thinks you're the one to help him, then you should," Kurt said.

"Miss Beth orginially thought of Quinn, but Quinn's blonde, so is Terri," Santana said.

"Well then I think Quinn should be here with him. He can get used to you and her. Marley can get used to Quinn. Move everyone into the apartment and just maybe, after all that getting used to other people, you can get a proper break," he said.

"And where would you like everyone to sleep?" Santana smirked.

"We'll figure it out, we always do," Kurt smiled and kissed Santana's cheek kindly before getting up and started for the bathroom. "And go be with your baby, she needs you just as much as she needs Rachel," he said.

* * *

><p>Santana took a heavy sigh and fixed Marley a cup of juice, before she went back into the bedroom. Rachel was cooing softly over Marley and Marley was trembling in her lap, resting her head on Rachel's shoulder. "I good Mama, I sorry, bad baby, no bad, good guh, I sowwy Mama," she said and she kept babbling, her speech getting younger and younger as she continued.<p>

"Shhh, where's Mama's big girl huh? Where's Mama's best girl?" she asked her and Marley didn't answer, she just gripped tighter to Rachel and continued to babble softly. Rachel squeezed her tighter, to help calm her raw nerves and gently pet her face. At this point, Marley was seated on the bed, facing sideways while Rachel had her arms wrapped tightly around her. She rocked slowly and took Marley's hand. "Oooh, look how beautiful Mama's baby girl is," she said carefully holding her and and examining it as if she were the most delicate piece of jewelry to ever exist. "Mama's most beautiful baby girl," she cooed softly.

"Mama?" Marley asked on a hiccup.

"Yes my love?"

"Mama, I good, I sowwy, I good, no bad," she cried, slow tears falling down her face.

"Yes, you are a very good girl, a very very very good girl," Rachel assured her and Santana moved to sit on the bed with them.

"Look baby, Mommy got your favorite cup of juice and we're going to take nice little sips," Santana told her and Marley just cried, but took the sips of juice, claiming that she was still a good girl. "You are the best baby girl Mommy could ever ask for," she told her.

"Mommy, I good," she said, almost pleading.

"Look at Mommy baby," Santana said and she took Marley's hand and put it on her own cheek. "Mommys baby girl Marley, is a very very good girl," she told her shaking her head yes, so Marley would hopefully get the point.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered and she moved out of Rachel's lap and into Santana's holding on tight.

"I love you so much baby girl. I'm so proud of you and all your hard work that you're doing," Santana praised her.

"Mommy, owie," she said softly.

"Where do you hurt my baby girl?" she asked her and Marley touched her forehead and her eyes. "Oh I see," Santana said. "Do you know how we fix that?" she asked her and Marley immediately went tense and Santana frowned. "Shhh, no baby, no no, you're okay, Mommy knows how to fix it. She was just asking you what you thought," she explained to her.

"Mommy," Marley cried.

"I'm sorry baby. Mommy's sorry," she told her and she cuddled her tight, took out her pony tail and let her long dark hair fall down her shoulders to help block out any light. "You know what we're going to do? Mommy's going to get her baby girl some warm tomato soup, some chocolate pudding for dessert, and then we're going to lay down together with a very dark blanket, because I know my baby's eyes hurt a little bit too," she told her gently.

"Mama will get the soup for her baby girl," Rachel said and she went into the kitchen, leaving Santana and Marley alone.

"Mommy, I good, I sowwy," she whimpered.

"Shhh, yes you are baby girl. You are a very good baby girl. Mommy's best baby girl. Do you know what you have sweetheart? Do you know what it's called?" she asked her.

"Owies," Marley whimpered.

"Yes, a lot of owies," Santana told her. "There's a big girl word for it though. Do you know that word?" she asked gently and softly, petting her little girl's face gently. "The big girl word is called migraine," she said.

"My-g-in," she said softly.

"Very good my love," Santana praised her. "Such a brave, sweet, smart girl," Santana praised her. "So now, you're going to sit with Mommy, and Mama is going to come in with the soup and feed you. It will be warm enough to help you feel better, and then we'll get you some chocolate. Do you know why Mommy wants you to have chocolate? Chocolate has caffeine in it and that helps open up your blood vessels," Santana explained, being sure to talk quietly.

"Mommy?" she asked softly.

"Yes baby?"

"Baf?" she asked.

"Do you want a bath baby girl?" she asked her and Marley nodded. "We can do that sweetheart. Mommy can run you a nice warm bath, and light some candles, and turn out all the lights," she said as Marley continued to keep her face, pressed into Santana's neck to keep the light out.

Marley let out a yelp of pain as her headache began to increase and the light started to make things worse. "Shhh, I know baby, I know. You're a good girl, and Mommy loves you very much. You just need to listen closely to what we say and I promise you, in a little while you'll feel better," she said.

Rachel came into the bedroom and smiled. "There's my baby girl are you ready for some soup? Mama made sure it's just very warm, so her baby girl doesn't experience any pain," she explained softly as she sat on the bed. Marley noticed that the soup was in a glass and not a bowl and she looked at it curiously. "Mama put the soup in a cup for Marley. I will help you eat it sweetheart," she told her and Marley nodded, but the moment she turned to get a better angle, the light caught her eyes and she started to cry. It felt like her brain was disconnecting from her body, and she was sure that because she was a freak and now sick, Santana, Rachel, and Kurt were going to send her away, so she simply cried.

"Alright baby girl," Santana soothed softly and she carefully pulled Marley back to her, massaging her scalp to help release some of the tension. "Mommy's here baby and Mama's going to go close the curtains for you. No more light to hurt our baby girl," she soothed and Rachel quickly closed the curtains and Marley's whimpers began to die down.

"Marley baby, Mommy has to potty. I want you to sit with Mama and drink as much soup as you can while I'm gone, okay? Can you do that?" Santana asked her.

"I good Mommy."

"Yes you are baby, I just have to go to the bathroom. I will be back as fast as I can. Sit with Mama," she told her and with soft whimpers, Marley sat in Rachel's arms.

Rachel sat with Marley and got her to drink all of her soup slowly, so she didn't burn her mouth. Rachel gave her lovely little kisses and pet her face gently. "Papa is going to come feed you pudding sweetheart, it will help more, and then I know Mommy is going to lay down with you, in the very dim light and quiet to help your head," Rachel assured her. Marley was already fighting sleep though. She had a belly full of warm soup and it was making her very sleepy.

Kurt came in later to relieve Rachel of her baby sitting duties and began feeding Marley her favorite chocolate pudding. "My sweet baby girl, Papa is so proud of you," he praised her as she tiredly ate each bite he gave her.

"Mommy is proud of you too. You are doing so well and you're being so brave," Kurt told her lovingly. He got her to eat everything, calm down, and miraculously fall asleep. Santana had returned halfway through the pudding and laid down next to her little girl. Once she had been sleeping for half an hour, Santana went to the kitchen table and Kurt and Rachel joined in and the three had a little conversation.

"What do you feel in your heart of hearts Santana? Because ultimately, that is what it boils down to. You have to make the decision and it has to be right for you and Marley before it's right for us," Rachel said kindly.

"Miss Beth said that he needs someone, and being that Marley has been with us, and we're 'used' to this, we're a good fit. My gut however has convinced me over the past half hour that Quinn and Noah, need to move in with us. We will be Aunties and Uncle, and Quinn will be Mommy. This is the easiest solution, I can come up with," she said.

"Is Quinn on board with this?" Kurt asked.

"I have to run it by her. Then I have to convince her that she should move in here, and get her to spend time with our little one, before she gets a little one of her own. I'm just very concerned, because according to all the descriptions we have of Terri, from when she was arrested, Quinn looks a little bit like her, so I'm concerned it's just going to freak out not only Noah, but Marley too and that leads to too much stress for her."

* * *

><p>Santana opened the door to the apartment and pulled Quinn in, hugging her tightly. "Thank you for coming," she told her.<p>

"Quinn!" Rachel said happily and excitedly and practically attacked the blonde with a bone crushing hug and Quinn didn't mind at all. She kept Rachel in the hug and smiled.

"You I'm very glad to see," she said to Rachel with a warm smile, "and you threatened my life," Quinn said directing her statement toward Santana. "Of course I'd show up," she said and there was a small duffle bag of hers in the hallway, "even though it's nine thirty at night," she added.

"Some things never change," Kurt said, "and can you all lower your voices, she's starting to stir," Kurt said kindly and he walked over and gave Quinn a hug hello.

"So how does all this work?" Quinn asked noticing the blocks on the floor, the toy piano, the small basket of toys by the tv, and the pacifier that was on the coffee table. "Also how old is she?"

"Biologically, she's nineteen, soon to be twenty. Depending on her mood and how scared she is, we've been operating at a three/four level. By the time she wakes up and realizes she has to deal with a new person in her house, we'll be back to two for sure," Santana said and she moved over to the fridge and pulled the infamous blue folder off the top of the fridge. "If you read that, you'll get a better idea of what might be going on with Noah," Santana offered. She was kind, but also very serious and when Rachel and Kurt showed their full support, she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. This wasn't play, this was deadly seriously.

"Did it start out as play?" she asked softly.

"It started out as a longing and maybe some play, but not everyone was on the same page, and Terri took advantage of Marley. She brainwashed her and if I'm going to guess at what might be going on with Noah, I'm going to say she brainwashed him too. Quinn, Terri is not someone who was kind by any stretch of the imagination. The amount of night terrors we go through are ridiculous and the times she pleads and begs and cries that she's a good girl, it's heart breaking. I don't know why you signed up for the club and in reality, it doesn't matter, but I promise you that these two want nothing sexual. They just want to be loved. It's very different than what you thought. They won't get off on this. That wasn't their intention in the first place. Terri ruined them," she explained and then fell quiet, letting her words settle into Quinn's brain.

Quinn nodded and started to read. The entire apartment was quiet as she did so and the peace was only shattered when Marley started screaming in the bedroom. "MOMMY!" she wailed at the top of her lungs, scrambling to get away from something and then she managed to fall off the bed, just as Santana walked into the room.

Santana went to the bed and pulled Marley off the floor and into her arms. "Shhh, Mommy's here honey, you're okay," Santana soothed and Rachel took a seat by Quinn as she continued to read in the other room.

"Mommy, MOMMY!" she panted, panic taking over her body.

"Shhh, yes baby, Mommy has you. Mommy Santana has her baby girl, close in her arms, very safe," Santana said and she rocked her side to side, singing a soft lullaby.

"Owie," Marley whimpered.

"I know baby, it's okay. You just fell out of bed. I think you were having a bad dream," Santana told her kindly.

"Terri's hewe. Her gonna gets me," she cried, her body trembling.

"No she isn't baby. Mommy, Mama, and Papa, would never let that happen. Even Miss Beth won't let that happen," she said.

"Her been hewe," she cried.

"She was?" Santana asked kindly.

Marley nodded her head and began to speak softly. "Bafroom, an her push you hard, an' her sc'eam at me so 'oud Mommy," she whimpered and snuggled into Santana while Santana frowned and thought for a while.

"Marley baby, I'm so sorry that you were scared and felt so unprotected," she told her honestly and Marley snuggled in tighter.

"Mommy, I hears her," she cried.

"Do you hear her now?" Santana asked.

"No," she said and then she thought for a moment, hearing a soft new voice. "Mama an not Papa?" she asked.

"Sort of," Santana said brushing her hair back. "Mama is in the kitchen, Papa is in the shower, and that new voice you hear, that voice belongs to Auntie Quinn," she said.

"No, no, no, Mommy. I good," she cried.

"Shhh," Santana said gathering her tight. "Yes you are baby, you are a very good girl. Auntie Quinn is very nice. Auntie Quinn went to school with Mommy and Mama and Papa. We've known Auntie Quinn for a very long time. I do want you to meet her, but if you aren't ready yet, you don't have to," Santana told her.

"Hun'gee Mommy," she said.

"Yeah? Okay. We can go into the kitchen and get you some food," Santana told her. "What should we get you? Are you in the mood for anything specific?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no.

"Ho'd me pee," she said softly, little tears still falling.

"I will absolutely do that baby, but I want you to remember, Auntie Quinn is here and she's very safe. She will do everything she can to help care for you and keep you protected okay?" Santana asked.

Marley nodded, but she didn't believe her. For all she knew Auntie Quinn was here to take her away. They'd left the house so many times and still returned with Marley. Maybe this Auntie Quinn person was here to take her away because they didn't know where else to drop her off.

* * *

><p>"I'm confused," Quinn said kindly. "She wanted to be a toddler, and then she was abused, for lack of a better term, and now you all baby her, all the time?" Quinn asked.<p>

"Only when she let's us know she wants it. A few times we've heard her call Santana, Ana, and I have to tell you it's heart breaking. Santana has been Mommy since the very beginning and when she feels safe, that's what she says. If she calls for Ana it's because she is completely unsure of what she wants in the moment. She needs to go see a therapist, but we haven't reached that stage yet," Rachel explained.

"Gee, ask a simple question," Quinn teased.

"Mock me all you want, but you're about to get a little boy, who could be just as tortured and abused as Marley was, by the same exact person. Here's the trick though, if you are okay with it, she will be too. Don't try too hard, but don't expect a nineteen year old either. Expect a very tall, toddler, because lately, that's exactly what she's been," Rachel said.

They heard Marley babbling softly to Santana as she lead her out of the bedroom. Santana came out from the bedroom a moment later and immediately Marley clammed up. "You're okay baby," Santana soothed and Rachel turned to see what was going on.

"Hey baby, how's your head?" she asked her gently and Quinn watched this terrified young lady put a death grip on Santana.

"Someone indicated they were hungry, so we got up, and came to the kitchen, so we could get something to eat," Santana smiled.

"I'll get it for you," Quinn said quickly and she went to the fridge before anyone could stop her. Rachel went to say something but Santana tapped her foot on the floor to gain her attention and then shot her a cautionary look. She carefully moved with Marley to the kitchen table and sat down. Marley was clearly on edge, but she was watching Quinn very carefully pull things out of the fridge. "Marley are you a lot hungry or only a little bit hungry?" Quinn asked and Marley didn't answer. "Okay, well I will make a little bit now, because it's late, but if you get hungry again later still, we'll make more," Quinn reasoned.

She opened a can of tomato soup, and made the whole thing. While that was cooking, she pulled out a pan, a piece of toast, and some cheddar cheese. "Marley do you want to come watch?" she asked and Marley shrunk back a bit. Why would she be asked to watch, especially by a stove. This Quinn person was going to burn her and Santana and Rachel were going to let it happen. Quinn turned around and knelt down so that she was lower than Marley. She was aware that sometimes abuse victims needed a height advantage, because it made them feel less threatened. "See, I talked to your Mommy and I know that a very mean lady, did very bad things to you. I thought if you come to watch me cook the food, you would see everything that is going on and you'd know I'm not going to hurt you," Quinn explained.

Marley took in her words and then looked to Santana for confirmation. "We can absolutely go stand by the counter and watch Auntie Quinn cook," she told her. Marley blinked once and then waited. She had to go back to the very very beginning, because she didn't trust this new blonde woman, although she could tell that Rachel and Santana trusted her a lot. "Okay my love," Santana said kissing her forehead. "Let's go watch," she said.

"Yes, but stand away, because if you got burned even accidentally, you're Mommy would go all Lima Heights on me, and it's too late for that," Quinn smiled.

"Yes, I would," Santana said.

"So then why don't you two stand, right there, so you can see what I'm making and then you'll be able to stay safe," Quinn suggested.

It was a risk as far as Marley was concerned but she agreed. She held on to Santana tightly and Santana spoke kindly to her. "Marley I am your Mommy until you decide you don't want me to be your Mommy any more. My job as your Mommy is to protect you and I will never let anyone near you if I think they aren't safe. I promise you, Auntie Quinn is very safe," she said and then she gave her a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Mommy safe," Marley whispered, leaning into Santana and watching Quinn cook.

* * *

><p>"Okay Marley, I took a gamble here, do you eat grilled cheese?" she asked her and Marley nodded slowly. "That's great. I'm pretty sure you eat tomato soup though, because everyone else in this house eats it. When we were in school together, it was the one dish I could count on the three of them having, usually all on the same day," Quinn explained as she took it out of the microwave and Marley pushed herself into Santana when she saw the steam rising off of the top of the cup.<p>

"You're okay sweetheart," Santana told her kindly, kissing her temple as they stood there. "Remember Mommy is here and I will always protect you," she told her.

"Where are your dishes and bowls and stuff?" Quinn asked.

"I can help you, what do you need?" Rachel offered.

"Small shallow bowl and a small plate," Quinn said. Rachel gathered the white dishes and handed them to Quinn. The plate wasn't exactly tiny, but she was going to use that to her advantage. "Okay Marley, make sure you watch please," Quinn requested and Marley turned her focus. Quinn poured a little bit of the soup into the bowl and then put the soup off to the side. Then she took the slice of cheddar smothered toast, cut it in half and smashed the pieces together. She then made thin little strips and fanned them out on the plate, on the side of the soup bowl.

"Look at that, Auntie Quinn is a professional chef it looks like," Rachel teased.

"I've been around," Quinn laughed. "So, now, I don't know how hungry you are, but the soup is very hot, so until it cools down some, you can just dunk your cheese sticks in it and eat it all together if you like," she smiled and set the bowl on the table and took a seat.

Marley watched her carefully. Was this how things worked? Santana's friend showed up, made her a snack, and then didn't tell her when or how to eat it? She didn't yell or scream? She didn't bother ordering Santana to get Marley to eat it immediately? Did people really act like this? She knew her 'parents' acted like that. They were calm and relaxed about eating. Nanny Susan was calm and relaxed too, or she would have been, had Marley not had a melt down. She didn't know why Quinn was so calm though. She tried to remember what her mother had been like, but those memories were failing her. All she clearly remembered was Terri, screaming and forcing food down her throat, that was either too hot or too cold.

"Should we try some baby?" Santana asked. "I know you said you were hungry. You can sit in Mommy's lap and eat, while we all talk a bit," Santana suggested and Marley agreed. She really was hungry. As they sat down, her stomach rumbled loudly and Rachel smiled.

"Eat as much as you want baby, and if you want more, Mama will make more okay? Or at least I'll ask Auntie Quinn to show me how to make more," Rachel smiled.

The three girls sat and talked quietly to each other, while Quinn watched Santana focus on feeding her little girl and the more she watched, the more she saw a mother and daughter, rather than two grown women. Marley was this tense, skittish, scared, little girl, and Quinn's heart was breaking, because as Beth has informed her, she was about to meet a little boy who had suffered some of the same tortures as Marley had. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.


	33. Chapter 33

**Bonus update, for no other reason than, I'm the author and there you go. If I stuck to my original, once a week update, It'd be december by now, so when I'm far enough ahead, I will update with bonus chapters. Sundays are always a given though.**

**Firstly, I hope everyone is doing well.**

**Secondly, this is the chapter where we meet Noah. It was brought to my attention that Noah needs some explaining. It is NOT Puckerman. I repeat, it is NOT Puckerman. Noah is just a name I used, because I liked it. The same goes for the name Beth. Beth is a name I like, and happens to be from the show, however, in this story Quinn never got pregnant. So baby Beth, the one Shelby adopted. She never existed. I know this annoys people, but it's fiction, so I just ask that you please go with it.**

**Thirdly, WARNINGS: PAY ATTENTION. You may NOT want to read ALL of this chapter. There are some VERY HEAVY talks of bodily harm and Noah's injuries, may be a bit too graphic for some of you. You thought Marley's memories were a bumpy road, Noah's are worse. BE CAREFUL when reading this if you are EASILY TRIGGERED. Take breaks, read it in a "safe space", and know that it is fiction. I'd also like to point out that ALL the torture that Terri inflicted on these little ones comes from MIXING and COMBINING MANY details I've heard from real life stories where children/people were rescued and some where they weren't. I'm actually a really caring individual, I SWEAR!**

**Lastly, as always, my many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that you continue to follow the story.**

**Be well my friends.**

* * *

><p>Marley crawled out of bed at four in the morning and silently slipped over to the corner by her blocks. She was watching Quinn sleep and trying to put everything together for herself. Why was Quinn here? What had she been reading at the table earlier? Why was she so accepting of Marley? Why was she being referred to as Auntie? She wasn't sure what answers she would get if she watched Quinn sleep, but if Quinn was going to do anything bad to her family, then she was going to scream as loud as she could and stop it before it happened.<p>

She didn't see Santana standing at the doorway for twenty minutes, just watching, she was too engrossed in watching Quinn. So after the twenty minutes, Santana scratched the wall lightly and Marley turned her head and immediately frowned. Now she was in trouble. Santana shook her head no and quickly moved toward Marley. "I didn't want to startle you baby, that's all," she whispered softly and she sat down next to Marley and picked up her blocks to start spelling. She didn't want to wake Quinn. If Noah was as tortured as Marley was, Quinn was going to have a few sleepless nights ahead of her. "No Sleep?" Santana asked with the blocks and Marley shook her head. Santana put her finger to her lips and pushed the blocks toward Marley.

"Q..U..I..N

N...O

H...U...R...T

Y...O...U.." she spelled out.

Santana smiled and crooked her finger at Marley so they could cuddle close. Marley went into her lap and Santana nuzzled her and pet her gently. "Thank you for protecting me my sweet girl. I promise you though, that woman, that is Auntie Quinn. She will not hurt me, or Mama, or Papa. We all went to school together. We are friends. We have known each other for a very long time and she's just here for a little while to help," Santana said.

"W...I...T...H," Marley spelled out.

"We have to go into the bedroom to talk honey. I will answer all your questions, but I want Auntie Quinn to be able to sleep some more," she told her and Marley thought about it for a moment, but then agreed and the two went into the bedroom. "Who does Mommy want to protect you from, more than anyone in the world?" she asked her.

"Terri," Marley said softly.

"That's right," Santana praised. "That is why we don't leave you alone without someone we trust. That is why Miss Beth had us stay at her house while this house had a security system installed. That is why we went down to the police station, so you could tell whatever bit of your story you wanted to, in order to keep Terri locked away."

"Didn' wowk," she pouted.

"Well no, not at first. See baby, here's the deal. The other day, Miss Beth called Mommy and Terri has hurt someone else. She hurt a little boy, and Miss Beth thinks that Auntie Quinn will be a good fit for his Mommy, like I was a good fit to be your Mommy, and since Auntie Quinn and Mommy went to school together, we know each other, so if she has any questions, I can help her, which will help the little boy."

"Baby?" Marley asked softly.

"Well he's as much a baby as you are I would imagine," Santana said kindly.

"Lots sa owies?" she asked sadly.

"Yes, baby. Terri hurt him."

"A wong time?" she yawned.

"That I don't know. Dr. Martinez is going to tell us tomorrow."

"Owies hewe?" she asked touching her own cheek. When Santana had met her, Marley had black and blue bruises all along her cheeks from where she'd been pinched so often.

"Maybe," Santana told her honestly and Marley fell quiet, wanting to think. She was getting tired, but now she had a million questions.

"Auntie Quinn?" she asked pointing to the living room where Quinn was sleeping on the couch.

"Yes, that's Marley's Auntie Quinn," Santana told her stifling her own yawn.

"Auntie Ana?" she asked pointing to Santana with confusion.

"No, I'm still your Mommy," she said kindly, petting Marley's hair.

"No, baby," she said shaking her head. "Baby's Auntie Ana?" she asked pointing to Santana.

"Yes, I will effectively be Auntie to Noah, and Auntie Quinn will be his Mommy," Santana explained.

"Safe here?" she asked cuddling into Santana tightly, sleep taking over her body, even though she didn't want it to.

"Yes, Auntie Quinn and Baby Noah are going to be staying here for a while to stay safe, and then they will find their own safe place to live, because Mommy thinks this apartment is too small for any more people to be living in it," she said with a smile and Marley smiled and nodded. She had to agree. It was a bit cramped with the four of them, but they somehow made it work. Adding a fifth and sixth person, might be stretching the walls just a little too thin.

"Noah?" Marley asked.

"Noah is at the hospital. Auntie Quinn and Mommy will go see him tomorrow afternoon. You can come with us, or you can stay home with Mama. Papa has to work," she said. Marley nodded and mumbled something unintelligible as exhaustion took over her body. "Sleep for now my sweet baby girl. We will work it all out in the morning," Santana soothed and she rocked her little girl gently on the bed, lulling both of them back to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kurt was up before all the girls and decided to make bacon and french toast. First he knew it was something they would all eat, and he knew bacon was Quinn's weakness. Knowing that she had to go deal with what they thought would be a frightened and agitated little one, he thought bacon would be a better way to start her day.<p>

She woke up rather quickly and managed to sneak into the kitchen and steal a fresh piece before he could stop her. She then gave Kurt a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you," she told him.

"You are definitely going to need this," he told her and happened to look over into the corner of the living room. "You were being watched I think," he said.

"Why do you say that?"

"See those blocks?" he asked pointing over to the corner.

"Oh my God, I haven't seen those blocks since I was a kid," she smiled, nostalgia taking over her brain for a moment.

"Yes, well for a good month or so, that was Marley's form of communication, and based on what they spell out, I believe Marley thought you were going to hurt someone in her family," he said. "The fact that you slept in this house and didn't experience a tantrum or meltdown; that in itself is a great accomplishment," he told her.

"She's so sweet though, she can't possibly be that bad."

"Quinn, that is my little girl as much as she is Santana's, and she's Rachel's little girl too, until she decides she no longer wants to be our little girl, but that little girl, as much as I love her, handful doesn't begin to describe how much work she can be when she gets worked up. She is lovely, and beautiful, and sweet, but she is most definitely a tortured soul," he said.

"We were in the glee club together. I've seen tortured souls."

"Yes, but there's glee and then there's Marley," he said seriously and Quinn gave him a curious look. She wasn't sure Marley could possibly be that bad.

Rachel came around the corner moments later and waved sleepily at her friends before pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting at the table. She noticed the blocks and looked toward Kurt. "Did I really sleep through a melt down?" she asked.

"If you did, then so did we," he told her.

"There was no melt down," Santana yawned coming around the corner by herself. "Marley got up in the middle of the night to watch over Quinn and protect us from her, I think. She was just using the blocks to spell out things so we didn't wake Quinn. Then I took her into our room and we talked a bit. I hope you're okay with being Auntie Quinn, because she called you that last night," Santana explained. "I think she's beginning to understand why you're here and what your position is."

"What did you tell her?" Quinn asked.

"I explained that Terri hurt a little boy named Noah and that Miss Beth thinks you will be the best fit to be his Mommy, just like I was the best fit to be Marley's Mommy. She seemed to like that explanation. She asked if he was in pain, and I said possibly."

"What did Miss Beth actually tell you about him?" Rachel asked.

"Miss Beth said Noah's looking at hypothermia, genital and physical abuse, muscular trauma, and dehydration."

"Seriously? What is her deal? Why torture them? What could she possibly get out of doing that to someone?" Rachel asked angrily.

"Calm down Mama," Kurt smiled and gave her her plate as well as passing one to Quinn. Santana took her own plate and the four sat down to breakfast. "Did you and Marley at least sleep well?" Rachel asked, calming down a bit.

"For most of the night, yes. She woke up ten minutes ago, but was far too tired, and fell straight back to sleep, as I changed her."

"She wears diapers?" Quinn asked and they all nodded. "By choice?" she asked curiously.

"By torturous necessity," Kurt said taking Rachel's hand, because he knew her blood was boiling. "You need to relax. If you're going to the hospital with them, you're going to freak him out and Marley. She's not used to seeing you this angry, and we both know what she turns into when one of us freaks her out."

"How often does that happen?" Quinn interjected with a smirk on her face. She imagined this would happen a lot for some reason.

"Not too often," Santana said.

"First week, in this house, these two had a fight. Marley was a basket case," Kurt said.

"We had a fight and scared the crap out of her," Santana admitted and they all heard movement in the other room.

"Can I?" Quinn asked. She wasn't about to overstep any boundaries and freak the little girl out.

"Go with Kurt, yes," Santana said kindly. "But," she said taking Quinn's wrist as she stood. "You follow his lead and you let Marley say whatever she wants to," Santana lectured.

"She'll be fine," Rachel said kindly and she and Santana let Kurt and Quinn go into the bedroom.

"Papa!" Marley smiled at him.

"Well good morning baby girl," Kurt smiled. "Did you sleep well?" he asked her. She nodded and crawled into his lap and took his hands and wrapped them around her waist. "Mmmm, I love cuddling my baby girl, so much," Kurt told her and he gave her kisses to her temple.

"Auntie Quinn," she said softly.

"Good morning sweetheart," Quinn smiled. "You don't have to call me Auntie if you don't want to. I know that's what Mommy said, but she should have told you it was okay to just say Quinn," she explained.

"No, Auntie Quinn," Marley said and Quinn smiled. "Auntie," she said continuing slowly, gathering her words carefully. "Baby Noah, owies. I hewp. I did bad. No save in time," she said and Quinn gave a smile.

"First, you have hair in your eyes, can I move it?" she asked her and Marley nodded. "There you are beautiful," Quinn smiled. "Now, yes, Baby Noah may be hurt, but you did nothing wrong. You did everything you could. It is absolutely not your fault that he got hurt," Quinn explained.

"That's right," Kurt said. "Noah was hurt because a very mean lady named Terri is a very strong word, do you remember what that word is" he asked.

"Bully," Marley said.

"I think that's a very good word and I don't even know your full story. I just know you needed a Mommy, a Mama, and a Papa," Quinn told her kindly. Marley smiled and leaned into Kurt, enjoying their moment together and thinking that Quinn was pretty cool. She had blonde hair like Terri, but that was about it. She seemed safe and Santana had assured Marley that Quinn was indeed safe and very kind.

"Papa, I go hop-sit-a wif Mommy?" she asked him.

"I don't know baby, we'll have to ask Mommy. I don't think it'll be a problem. Why do you want to go my love?" he asked her.

"Baby Noah, s'ared wike me," she said, her voice slipping further and further into toddler state.

"I'm sure he's very scared, but we don't know that he was a baby for Terri, so you have to be very sure and go very slow. Do you remember how slow Mommy went with you in the beginning?" he asked and Marley nodded. "We're going to have to do that again and help him build up strength and trust, because as we know Terri takes those things away, doesn't she?" he asked.

"Bully," Marley said softly, but seriously. "Papa, wha you caw'ed?" she asked him.

"I'm Papa Kurt silly girl," he said nuzzling her and kissing her jawline noisily making her grin and while they talked, Quinn sat and watched. Marley may be as tall as them and incredibly smart, but Quinn couldn't help but see this happy little toddler who was enamored with her Papa, as most little girls were.

* * *

><p>Marley was holding Santana's hand as tightly as she could. The hospital was not her favorite place. "You didn't have to come in baby. Mama can still take you home," she offered.<p>

"No," Marley said firmly. She wasn't going to budge on this. This was all her fault and she had to apologize to Noah for letting him fall into this position. She was convinced it was her fault Terri found him and tortured him.

_"If you can't make me happy I'll just go find the next little boy or girl to come help me and then it'll be all Marley's fault for not giving me what I wanted. All your fault that someone was spanked and made to be my little slut. All Marley's fault," Terri had crooned as she changed Marley's diaper. One of the few times she had. Her body was still regulating though so when she saw blood, she gave Marley quite a beating for being such a bad big girl. "Stop acting like a big girl! You're a baby slut and you better remember that!" she barked._

Marley started to tremble as the memory continued taking over her and Santana stopped. She and Rachel got in front and behind her, while Quinn moved to grab a chair for Marley to sit in. "Baby, you're okay, look at me," Santana said softly and kindly and she put her hand on Marley's cheek to connect with her. They didn't have anything in the backpack that could be pulled out immediately. Panda and Teddy were too big, and the pacifier was way too obvious. "Look at me Marley, you're okay," Santana assured her and Marley finally focused in on her. "There's my good girl," Santana cooed sweetly. "What happened honey, can you tell me."

"Bad memories," she said honestly and she forced herself to speak normally. She wasn't ready to be anyone's little girl out in public and Santana never forced her to be. If anyone had asked about her walking situation, which most people didn't, Santana's go to line, was a car accident that she was still healing from. It wasn't a complete lie. the last time Marley had been with Terri, she rolled herself out of a car. Santana didn't know that, but it was the best she could come up with on the spot.

"Okay, well seeing Noah might bring back more memories, so if you want to sit in the hallway, with Mama, you can," she told her in a very soft tone, so no one could hear. Quinn and Rachel were right there and even they didn't hear what Santana said.

"I have to," Marley said.

"Only if you want to," Santana told her. "You don't have to. There is a difference," she explained kindly.

"I want to," Marley insisted, her voice trembling a little bit.

"Alright, you can, I just want you to be absolutely sure, that's all," Santana told her.

Marley nodded and after a moment, stood back up, and the four girls continued down the hallway. They went into room twelve as they had been told and there on the bed, looking small and peaceful was a young man. He had a baby face, with one black eye, the same bruises on his cheeks that Marley used to have on hers, and blankets pulled up by his neck. Marley sat down on the chair and immediately began to cry. This was all her fault. She'd run away and forced Terri to get another little one and this time, Terri didn't mess around. She went for as young as she could.

Marley turned into Rachel and cried quietly. Her movement had caught Noah's attention and he started to panic. "Okay Mommy," Santana teased quietly. "You're on," she said.

"Noah," she said kindly and he tried to jerk his head toward the voice, but whimpered in pain, due to the bruising on his neck. "Shhh, Noah, you're okay. You are. My name is Quinn and I was called to come here and help you out, in any way I can. Mainly to help you get better," she explained. "Can you speak?" she asked him kindly and he didn't dare budge. He didn't know what was going on. Part of him wanting to fight, but he couldn't see so well and he was being held to the bed by various machines. "Okay, well I'm going to take that as a no or as you don't want to and that's perfectly okay. As I said my name is Quinn, and this is Santana, Rachel, and Marley," she said.

"Mar-ree!" he said quickly. Marley sat up a bit at hearing her name. He knew her. He blamed her, as he should. She was out of his line of vision though and he wanted to get a better look at her. He had to see her. "Dead! Mar-ree dead!" he cried out not being able to see her.

"Shhh, calm down Noah," Quinn said when she noticed that the heart monitor had picked up it's pace. "Do you know Marley?" she asked him.

"Mar-ree dead," he repeated.

"He speaks really well for an infection," Rachel said quietly to Santana who simply nodded her agreement.

"Marley isn't dead Noah, at least not the Marley who is in the room" Quinn said kindly. "Let's try this. Can you see me? Do you see Quinn?" she asked and he stopped speaking. "Alright, let's do this, I want you to raise your hand when you can see me," Quinn instructed kindly and in that moment, Santana knew why Beth hired Quinn. "I know it might be a little painful for you, so just raise it as much as you can," Quinn said. "I'm also going to say my ABC's so that you always hear my voice as I move around the bed," she told him. "Just let me know when you see me Noah," Quinn said kindly and she watched him carefully while saying her ABC's so that he could hear her voice and when he saw her, he raised his hand a half an inch. Then it fell back down but Quinn smiled.

"That was excellent listening Noah, I am very proud of you," Quinn told him kindly. "Now that you can see me, I want to ask you something okay. Do you know Marley?" she asked him.

"Mar-ree dead," he said and over in the corner, Marley turned into Santana and continued to cry quietly. This was all her fault and now Noah wanted to hurt her, she was sure of it. He'd been saying Marley dead since he heard her name, and she couldn't blame him. He looked pale and thin. His muscles looked like they had some atrophy to them, which she understood completely, because she'd been in that very position herself. She held tight to Santana and continued to cry and tremble.

"You're okay baby girl. Mommy's here, you're safe," Santana said and Noah gave Quinn a funny look. Something wasn't right and he knew it.

"The voice you hear belongs to Santana. Can you say her name? I know it's a mouthful and I know you're still fighting an infection," Quinn said kindly.

"Tana," he said quietly.

"Very good," Quinn praised. "Now, I want you to just keep looking at me and we're just going to discuss simple things and if you get too tired or don't want to any more, then you just raise your hand. I'm not moving any closer than this. You need to learn to trust me, and that is not going to happen if I just come in and take over a situation right? So we have to go slowly and carefully," Quinn said. "Tell me Noah, how do you know who Marley is?" she asked.

"Terri," he said almost bitterly.

"What else do you know about Terri?" she asked him.

"Put me here," he said and he did get a bit angrier.

"She did, but she's been locked up now. We got the phone call last night when you showed up here. Dr. Martinez is your doctor. He is also Marley's doctor," Quinn said.

"No, Mar-ree dead," he said.

"Why do you think Marley is dead Noah? Did someone tell you that?" she asked.

"Terri," he said and Rachel picked up on something.

"Terri told you about Marley?" Quinn asked and then she looked over toward Rachel and Santana. Marley wasn't focused and Quinn really wanted her to pay attention to this. It was critical.

"Mar-ree dead," he said to Quinn.

"Did Terri tell you anything more about Marley?"

"Mar-ree baby," he said. "Baby grrr. Dead."

"Yes, that was sort of right. Marley feels safer when she acts like a baby girl. Do you know that Marley knew Terri too and that Marley is really nineteen years old?" Quinn asked and Noah furrowed his brow in confusion.

_"You'll never be as good as Marley. Marley was the one and only baby girl I ever had and she died a horrible death, because she didn't listen to me, so you follow my damned instructions or you're going to die too!" Terri had barked at him._

"Noah my friend," Quinn called to him. "Come back to Quinn, Noah, you're okay, we're just talking. We're in the hospital where you are getting better. Noah, Quinn, Santana, Rachel, and Marley," Quinn said.

"Mar-ree dead," Noah insisted.

"Marley baby, come over here honey. Just for a moment," Quinn requested.

"Mar-ree dead," Noah said and Marley hung tighter to Santana, not sure she wanted to go, not sure if she even could move.

"Okay, okay, let's try this. Did you ever see a picture of Marley?" Quinn asked kindly. He was getting agitated and Marley was starting to hyperventilate slightly. Noah raised his hand and Quinn thought for a moment. "Do you want Quinn to stop asking questions?" she asked him and he carefully shook his head no. "Okay, let's try this then. Yes or no questions for you buddy. Left hand for yes, right hand for no, is that fair?" she asked him, not having moved an inch from her spot, she wasn't even swaying side to side.

Because his eye was so swollen and the other was black and blue, she didn't want to risk it, however Rachel was getting concerned that Quinn was going to lock out her knees and be in pain. If she didn't move soon, Rachel was going to get Quinn a chair. Noah raised his left hand and Quinn smiled. "Very good Noah, I'm very proud of you."

"Okay Noah, here's the first question. Did Terri show you pictures of Marley?" Left hand. "Did Terri say Marley died?" Left hand. "Did she say why Marley died?" Right hand. "Very good Noah, you are doing very well," Quinn praised him. "Just a few more questions and then I want to show you one thing," she told him kindly. "Terri said Marley was a baby girl?" she asked. Left hand. "Did Terri want you to be a baby too?" Quinn asked and fresh tears rolled down his cheek and Quinn frowned.

_"You damn little freaks! You want to be big baby sluts don't you? Well Marley was just like you and I'll teach you exactly how to be a baby slut. You're saving grace is that you don't get a period, but you're still going to get babas. There is no way that any baby of mine is going to be dirty before receiving any kind of attention," Terri had growled._

"It's okay Noah, it's okay. Quinn is going to come forward and help you wipe away your tears and I'm not mad okay?" she asked him and while she talked, he noticed she hadn't moved. Was she waiting for permission? Who was going to give it to her? Was it him? Was it a doctor? He didn't understand why Quinn was being so calm and relaxed with him. He wasn't a freak, like Terri had yelled at him many times a day, at least he wasn't before, Terri had made him one now. "Noah buddy, just raise your hand. Left for yes, right for no, you get to tell me if I can come help you wipe away your tears. I'm sure you're not comfortable and part of my job is to help you stay comfortable as you heal," Quinn explained. He very timidly raised his left and and Quinn nodded.

"Okay, I will help you, but since you can't see so well yet, Quinn is going to hum a song so you can always hear me. I don't want you to think I've gone away and then get scared when I use the tissue on your face," she explained. She hummed all the way over to him, while she wiped away his tears, and then all the way back to the spot she'd been standing in, so he could see her again. The rest of the room was too blurry for his vision. "Okay buddy one last question do you think you would recognize Baby Marley if you saw her?" she asked and he raised his left hand.

"You did very well Noah, thank you for answering all of my questions. I'm going to sit down, I want to show you something, but I don't think it'll work standing, so I have to sit down. If you can't see me any more just raise your hand and let me know okay?" she asked him and he raised his left hand. "Very good," she praised him and then she took a seat and waited for a moment. "Can you see me Noah? Do you still see Quinn?" she asked him. He raised his left hand.

"Good," Quinn smiled at him. "Marley baby, come here honey," she said and Marley shook her head no and hung on to Santana tightly. "Mommy can come with you sweetheart, you're okay, come sit with Auntie Quinn, just for a moment," she tried.

"Mommy," Marley cried. This was it. This was her end. They were going to let Noah see her and he was going to convince them to kill her.

"Shhh, I'm here baby, Mommy's here," Santana said gently and Quinn could see Noah trying to figure things out as the voices sounded off around him.

"That's Santana Noah, she's Marley's Mommy. Marley has Mommy Santana, Mama Rachel, and Papa Kurt. I'm her Auntie Quinn. Santana, Rachel, Kurt, and I all went to school together. The three of them are roommates and Santana and I work at the same place," she explained. "Can I tell you about it?" she asked and he raised his left hand.

"Tread carefully please, Marley doesn't know everything and for right now I'd like to keep it that way," Santana said and Quinn nodded.

"Santana and I work at a place where all kinds of people show up and ask for all kinds of different things. Some of those people ask to be treated like younger children. Some of them want to get back a part of their childhood that they felt they missed out on," she said. "There are other people there too, but you don't need to know about them just yet," she said kindly. "Marley honey, it's okay baby, come sit with Auntie Quinn, just for a little bit baby," she told her and Marley looked at her with swollen eyes, and a heavy heart.

"I'll go with you honey. Mommy will be right next to you, but I think Auntie Quinn has a good idea. I think you sitting with her, will be good for both you and Noah," she said. Marley cried, but let Santana lead her over and she sat in Quinn's lap, completely tense, and started to cry harder. As soon as Noah's vision focused on her a bit more, his eyes went wide and over by the door, Rachel was sitting on the chair and crying. This was too painful for her heart. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of this. The only good news was that Noah was the last one. Terri was behind bars and not getting out anytime soon.

Noah's eyes almost bugged out of his head and his heart rate picked up a bit. This couldn't be her. This was a trick. This was a different Marley, because Terri said that Marley died. Terri said she'd been kidnapped and killed. She said, Marley didn't follow her instructions and was taken away. He was trying to think of the way to find out if it was her. He was quiet for a long time and then he remembered that Terri sang a stupid nursery rhyme type song all the time, but it wasn't anything that any random person would know about. Terri had changed some of the words and he hoped that this Marley knew it. If she did, then he would know who it was, and could relax a little bit. If this Marley person was calling other people Mommy and Mama and Papa and Auntie, then it meant that Quinn would be a life line for him as well. If Marley could find one, so could he. Maybe that was why he ended up in this hospital.

He took a deep breath and began speaking and singing very quietly. "A ticket, a tacket, a boo an pur-pur backet, for one oh taww, wit room oh 'maww," he sang and then he waited. Marley would know the end of that. Terri had told him, time and time again, how often she sang that song to Marley.

_"Marley tried to run away a lot, so I had to discourage her. Do you know what happens to babies who run away from their nice safe houses? They get chopped into little piece by ax murderers," Terri had told him. "A tisket, a tasket, a blue and purple basket, for one so tall with room so small," she'd said._

"Dey dop you wif a hatchet," Marley finally pushed out from the 'safety' of Quinn's lap even though she didn't feel safe and now she'd just told them how to kill her. Chop her up with a hatchet, put her into a bunch of pieces and put her in the casket and the into the ground. That was what Terri had told her she deserved. Terri had told her that sluts didn't get proper funerals, they were chopped up into pieces and put in the ground so no one had to look at them.

Santana dropped down to the floor and looked at Marley. "Look at Mommy honey, you're okay, I'm not mad, but Mommy never, ever, ever wants to hear that song again, no one is ever going to come after you with a hatchet," Santana said. "And Noah my boy," she said standing up and moving into his line of vision. "I know that's how you are trying to figure out who Marley is, but I assure you, this is the same Marley Terri told you about, but the same goes for you. Santana, never, ever, ever wants to hear that song again," she told him seriously.

* * *

><p>They'd been at the hospital for a few hours now and Quinn was holding Marley in her lap, talking to both her and Noah, trying to engage them in conversation. They both wanted to talk to each other but neither knew where to start. Marley wanted to apologize for all she had done wrong, and Noah wanted to be sure that she was really okay. Terri had told him all the things she "helped" Marley to learn and some of them didn't sound very pleasant, but mostly he wanted to know if being a little one was really acceptable with these people. Based on her speech and actions it was, but he just wasn't completely convinced.<p>

"Marley baby, stay with Auntie Quinn and Noah okay? Mommy and Mama are going to go down to the cafeteria and get something for everyone to snack on. Noah buddy, I will talk to your doctor and see what's safest for you, okay?" Santana said and both little ones nodded slowly.

"Mommy," Marley squeaked and Santana walked over to her, knelt down and pet her cheek. Noah didn't like that at all. The touching of cheeks was bad, he knew this. How could Marley not know this. It had to be the right Marley though, because she knew the song and he was pretty sure no one knew that song, at least, not that version of it.

"What's up baby?"

"You come back," she said softly and sadly.

"I will be right back sweetheart, I just have to go to the cafeteria to get some food. We didn't bring a snack for you, which was Mommy's fault, and I'm pretty sure Noah should eat something, which is his doctor's fault for not telling us about that, and I heard Mama's tummy growl, from all the way over here. You are very safe with Auntie Quinn sweetheart, I promise," she told her and Marley nodded but started to cry when Rachel and Santana left the room.

Noah watched in confusion. Terri never asked him to call her Mommy. She had told him she hated the term. Now though, he was watching Marley use family terms for relative strangers and she was now crying for them, since they were gone. These had to be decent people if nothing else.

"Shhh, you're okay Marley. Auntie Quinn will not hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you sweetheart. I know you don't fully trust that yet. I know I have to earn your trust and Noah's trust," Quinn told her kindly.

"Noah," Marley said suddenly as if she remembered something. "My fault, I sorry," she told him honestly.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"I bad baby. I goed way. Terri said, bad things happen cause of me. Other babies suffer cause of me," she said in her soft baby gibberish.

"No, no, no," Noah said quickly.

"Yes," Marley argued. "You owies," she said touching her own cheeks in the spots where Noah had bruises.

"You had 'em?" Noah asked her softly and she nodded bashfully and let the tears fall and Quinn remained quiet. She was watching them try to bond or communicate, or something and she wasn't about to stop that. They were the only two people in the world who knew exactly what Terri had done.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong?" Santana asked Rachel as they stood on line to pay for the food.<p>

"Do you think Marley's going to eat this? Do you think she would prefer the pear instead? I mean she can't have apple juice, so it would stand to reason that the actual apples are bad too right?" Rachel asked, ignoring the question completely.

"Rachel," Santana said in a warning tone.

"No, absolutely not," she said seriously and stood frozen in place, prepared for a fight. "I am not your pet. I am not under your care. I am not our little girl. So you do not get to talk to me, like I deserve a time out!" Rachel growled and Santana held up her hands and let Rachel breathe for a second.

"I think Marley would like the pear as well as the apple we got for her," Santana offered and Rachel nodded.

"This sucks more than anything else. Taking care of our little girl is not always easy, but she is our little girl and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world at this point. The truth is she is yours, much more than she is mine or Kurt's and I'm totally okay with being back up for you, but what is Quinn going to do now? Quinn doesn't have the same support system. Neither of them deserved this and I can't sit in that room and know, that not only did she get Marley, but she got Noah too and he's a baby, a real baby. He's not even legal yet!" Rachel babbled and while it drove Santana up a wall that she was rambling, she realized she had to let her do it.

"I'm sorry, I only have a fifty on me," Santana said to the cashier as they were rung up at the register. The cashier rolled her eyes and Rachel lost her mind.

"Excuse me what is your problem!" she yelled at her. "Look, I'm sorry that you're stuck here in this pale painted, hospital white, completely sterile, florescently lit room and serving food, but you have no idea what she is going through, so can the attitude and get us our damn change, or politely tell us that we need more food and I will gladly grab something more!" Rachel barked. She caused a small scene, but she didn't care. She was too worked up to be bothered with the fact that people were staring at her like she'd escaped the mental ward.

Santana was both appalled and proud. It was rare that Rachel lost her cool, but apparently today was one of those days. The cashier rolled her eyes again, got Santana her change, and the girls went on their way. "Let's go Kujo," Santana grinned.

"Not in the mood!" Rachel growled.


	34. Chapter 34

**Hello everyone,**

**So you all get another bonus chapter this week. I shouldn't do this, because I've hit a wall. It's a very thick brick wall and I've tried several ways to get rid of my writer's block and NOTHING is working. I AM OPEN TO ALL SUGGESTIONS! Whatever you have, throw it out there and hopefully you'll help inspire something. You've all helped me before, so I'm hoping it'll work again.**

**Warnings: HIGH SQUICK FACTOR! Vomit, tantrums, medical sedation, and a rather descriptive section of SOME of Noah's injuries. Again, as with last chapter, read SLOWLY if you have to. Take breaks, be in a "safe space", etc. I trust you all to use your best judgement. This is a chapter that you really shouldn't skip in my opinion as it will set up a few things for upcoming chapters.**

**Many thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for all their encouragement and support. Many thanks to ALL my readers, my 100 followers, my 59 favorited readers, and to all of you who have sent me, such lovely PM's and reviews. It is all greatly appreciated.**

**Be well my friends**

* * *

><p>While Santana and Rachel were gone, Marley and Noah had both been moved to tears and Quinn was seriously fighting off her own. They had moved closer though now. Now, Noah was in the hospital bed, but instead of being in a chair far away, Marley was seated on the bed, with him and Quinn was standing behind her, supporting her body as she leaned to the left a bit. The two were sharing bruises with each other. Marley looked up at Noah and carefully placed her hand on her cheek. "Owies," she said softly. He nodded and tried to guide her hand to his cheek. "Pinch," she said softly.<p>

"A hun-red time a day," he said.

Marley nodded and tried to look back at Quinn. "Auntie?" she asked softly.

"What's up sweetheart?"

"Mommy has um, I don't know, put it on, no more owies, cream, soft, cold," she babbled and Quinn nodded.

"I think that's aloe baby. Should we ask Noah if he wants aloe on his bruises? Do you think it would help him?" Quinn asked.

"You his Mommy. You beddah den me, you does it" she said sadly.

"No one is better or worse, and that's not really fair sweetheart. Noah may not want me as his Mommy. We have to ask him what he wants. He also has to learn to trust me, like you learned to trust your Mommy," she explained.

Marley wasn't happy with that answer and turned back to Noah. "Auntie Quinn, you Mommy. Her make you safe. Keep you safe. Her put cream on owies. No more, all gone. You gotta," she told him and her voice was firm and held a very stern tone to it.

"Marley, what did I just tell you sweetheart? We can't force Noah to do what you say. Yes, everything you said is true, but he has to learn that on his own," Quinn explained and she said in a very certain tone. She knew Marley was between her scary adult world and her safe little girl world. That file had been murder to get through, but Quinn was glad she'd read it.

"NO!" Marley yelled.

"First and last warning Marley. You do not yell at me. I know you're frustrated, but you do not get to make choices for Noah. He gets to make his own choices. You can make suggestions, but that's it," Quinn told her seriously.

"NO!" Marley yelled again.

"Time out for Marley," Quinn said seriously and she took her off the bed, despite Marley's screamed and struggles, and lead her to the corner. "Stand here, five minutes," Quinn said. She'd been told about the time out rule very quickly. Santana had sensed some challenge in Marley when it came to Quinn.

"NO NO NO!" Noah yelled and he started to squirm, his monitors going wild.

"Shhh, Noah, calm down buddy, you're okay and so is Marley," Quinn said.

"No, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, C'eam okay, do it. No time out," Noah said as best he could, his body getting mad at him for putting out so much effort. His stomach was starting to cramp a bit, but he ignored it. He had to do everything he could so that Marley would be safe and getting out of bed and wrapping her in his arm, to shield her with his own body, was not an option.

"Shhh," Quinn soothed, but she didn't dare touch him. She glanced up and saw his heart rate was quickening and she didn't like the numbers involved. It looked like he was going to have a heart attack if she didn't get him to calm down.

"Noah buddy, look at Quinn, look at me love. You're okay, and so is Marley and as soon as she finishes her time out, she can come back and talk to you," Quinn told him and she kept an eye on his heart monitor, not wanting it to jump completely off the chart. "Shhh, listen to Quinn buddy," she tried.

"No, Mommy, not Kin, Mommy okay," he said, his voice full of panic.

"Shhh," Quinn said kindly. "Noah buddy, nothing bad is going to happen to Marley. She has to go to time out, because she was rude to me and to you too. Her Mommy Santana doesn't like her to be rude and when she is, she has to sit in time out, and think about why she's there, that's all," Quinn explained kindly.

"No, no, no," he cried. "Mommy, not Kin, Mommy okay, Marley hee, no corner, Mommy!" he cried out. He was terrified that something bad was going to happen to her, because she had told him what to do and he decided he wasn't ready yet.

"Noah, look at me, look at Quinn," she told him and she got into his line of vision and the numbers went down a bit. He was trying and she was grateful for that. She also figured he was only trying because he was convinced that Marley would be hurt if he didn't listen. "Thank you for looking at me," Quinn said kindly. "I want to ask you an easy question buddy. Do you remember who all was in the room before? Do you remember who left to get us food?"

"Tana," he said softly.

"Yes, that's one person. Santana is Marley's 'Mommy' and then there was another lady, do you remember her name?" Quinn asked kindly and his eyes filled with tears. He didn't know the answer. The belt was coming next, or a punch in the face, or a poke from the stun gun, or a jab from the switch blade. Something bad, because he couldn't answer the question and that was what happened to bad little boys, it'd been screamed at him for weeks on end. "Shhh, you're okay, you're okay, nothing bad is going to happen, I'm just going to tell you. Her name was Rachel and Marley calls her Mama. The only other people in this room are you and Marley and me. Now, if you don't calm down, I'm sure some doctors and nurses will join us to make sure you're okay, but I'd rather they not rush in here like storm troopers. I'd rather that I call for them to come look you over. I want you to be okay too and so does Marley, so does everyone actually, but the thing is bud, Marley can't make your decisions for you Noah. You have to make them. You can call me Mommy if you want, but I want you to do it, because you want to, not because Marley told you to," she explained.

His heart monitor started to relax and the beeping slowed, becoming more rhythmic and Quinn gave him a smile. She hoped it was a calm and proud smile. She wanted it to be. "Kin," he said softly.

"Yes Noah?" she asked.

"Why Mommy?" he asked her.

"I don't understand your question Noah, can you try again and use a few more words?" she asked him.

"Why Mommy to me? Why Mar-ree want" he asked.

"I don't know buddy. We can ask her that, as soon as she is done with time out, which will be very soon," Quinn told him kindly. "In fact, I'm going to go get her okay? I'm going to have to step out of view for a little while, but I'm still here, and so is Marley, you'll hear us talking," she said and she moved over to Marley. "Alright lady bug, come here please," Quinn said kindly.

"NO!" Marley yelled.

"Really? You want to yell at Auntie Quinn some more and stay in time out longer?" Quinn asked her, clearly dealing with a stubborn toddler. Clearly Marley was Santana's child.

"MOMMY!" she screamed.

"Marley Rose!" Santana scolded from the doorway as she and Rachel entered the room.

"Mommy!" she cried.

"Marley Rose you do not yell like that, unless your life is being threatened and I know for a fact that it isn't," Santana scolded. "Why are you in the corner?"

"Auntie Quinn mean!" she pouted.

"Somehow I don't think that is the whole story, now turn around please, and look at me and tell me what happened," Santana said keeping her cool and Quinn glanced back at the monitors. Noah was starting to get worked up again.

"Calmly. Everyone will remain calm," Quinn said.

"No, no, no!" Marley whined and she tried to stomp her foot in frustration, but she just fell down to the floor.

Rachel went over to her, sat down, pulled Marley tight into her arms, and kept her there, while Marley fussed and kicked out, and cried. "Shhh, listen to Mama. I know you're having trouble today, and I know that everything is very new and probably frustrating for you, but this is not how my good girl behaves," Rachel lectured. Marley's tears died down and eventually her crying stopped but Rachel was having tears of her own. She pushed them aside though and began to sing softly into Marley's ear.

"Does that happen often?" Quinn asked.

"The tantrum? Lately, yes. What happened though?" Santana asked and Quinn started to retell the story. When she finished, Santana walked over to Rachel and put her hand over Rachel's ear, scratching her scalp and neck lightly, because as much as Marley was freaking out, so was Rachel. "Noah, can Santana sit and talk to you for a little bit?" she asked him and he turned to look at her. "I'm going to take that as a yes, but I want to be sure. Do you remember what Quinn taught you? About easy questions? Left hand yes and Right hand no," she said and he raised his left hand and kept it up. He was ready. "Thank you," she told him. It struck him funny that both Santana and Quinn had thanked him nearly every time he gave them his consent to do something. "Here's the deal Noah, a few months ago, Marley ended up in this same hospital. She couldn't walk, or talk, or move very well, and her doctor, Dr. Martinez, knew my boss, Miss Beth. Miss Beth said that I would be the best person to help Marley. Miss Beth turned out to be right. This is the thing though, your story and Marley's story are probably a bit different and she does not have the right to tell you what you should do. We know she thinks it will help you, but your decisions are yours from now on," Santana explained. "Personally I think Marley should tell you her story, so you understand her reasoning better and because it is her story, I'm going to let her tell it to you. She shouldn't have been forceful with you though, that was rude, that is why Quinn put her in time out, do you understand?" she asked him kindly.

He simply lifted his left hand and then let it fall again. "Thank you," Santana told him and then she turned to Marley and Rachel. "Are you going to behave like a good girl now?" she asked her and Marley let out a little whimper. "You are always my good girl Marley, you know that, but you didn't just act like a good girl, and you know the difference," she said and Marley nodded in embarrassment. "I still love you baby," Santana told her. "Do you want to come sit with Mommy and tell Noah your story?"

"All it?" she asked snuggling into Rachel.

"Only if you want to, but I thought Noah should know key points of it. You can tell him more, little by little, when you're ready, but some of it, he should know now I think," Santana told her. "I think he should start out by knowing what you two have in common," she explained. Marley nodded and with help from Rachel and Quinn she stood up and moved over to Santana and took a seat in her lap. "Before you start sharing your story though, you will apologize to Noah and Auntie Quinn. You were rude, and Mommy does not put up with that," she told her and Noah watched as Santana spoke gently, and covered Marley in gentle kisses and nuzzled her, and was very patient. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely, they were going to hit her the way Terri had hit him when she was displeased with his behavior, which was quite often.

"Sorry Auntie Quinn," Marley said as she blushed.

Quinn smiled and moved in front of her. "Thank you lady bug, and I forgive you," Quinn said and she kissed her forehead.

"One more to go," Santana encouraged.

"No! Auntie Quinn Noah's Mommy. Auntie Quinn safe," she said.

Santana dropped her head and took a deep breath before lifting it again. This was it. Noah's heart monitor began to beep faster. He was going to watch it happen and apparently this Quinn person was going to let it happen too. "Sweetheart, look at me. What you are saying is all very true, but remember how much of a bully Terri was? She made decisions for you, without your consent and remember how we talked about that was wrong?" Marley nodded. "Even though Auntie Quinn is very safe, we know that, Noah doesn't, we have to let him decide it on his own. If we don't, then we are being bullies just like Terri," she told her.

"Mommy, Terri bad, very very very bad, made owies, he safe now. He needs a good Mommy, an you mine! He have Auntie Quinn," Marley said. She was stuck between big girl world and toddler world, but the one thing that everyone picked up on in the room was her impending jealously. He couldn't have Santana as his Mommy, because that would mean Marley would be replaced. She didn't want a new Mommy. She wanted Santana. Noah needed help, she knew that, but he had to get his own family and leave hers alone.

"Baby, if he feels comfortable calling her Godzilla, then that's his choice and that is what he will call her, and we'll know it's because he thinks she's big giant lizard that is breathing fire and eating all the bad guys to keep him safe okay?" Santana asked.

"Auntie Quinn too pity to be dat," Marley smiled speaking softly.

"Thank you lady bug," Quinn smiled.

"Yes, Auntie Quinn is very pretty, but that is not my point. He has to be comfortable with what happens next for him, just like you were. You didn't call me Mommy the first day you met me did you?" she asked her and Marley shook her head. "So then is it fair to ask Noah to do that?" she reasoned and again Marley shook her head. "So will you please apologize to Noah for making decisions for him, that he's not ready to make?" she coached.

"I sorry," she told him.

"Good girl," Santana praised and she reached into her backpack and pulled out Teddy Bear and gave it to Marley. Marley smiled and pulled it close cuddling into Santana.

"Mar-ree?" Noah asked softly and she straightened up and then started to wiggle.

"I sit on bed Auntie?" she asked.

"Ask Noah if you can," Quinn said kindly. She looked toward him and Noah raised his left hand. Marley thought for a moment and then looked at Santana. "Lef is ess?" she asked quietly and Santana nodded.

"He says I can," she said to Quinn and then held her arms up so she could be helped onto the bed. There was still so much she couldn't do on her own and climbing things was was one of them.

"Kay, I here, you ass-es me," she said.

"Be't for bad gir'?" he asked her quietly.

"No," she said shaking her head. "No be't. Time out only," she said.

"You baby gir'?" he asked her.

"When I wanna be. When I safe. I safe a lot, now," she told him.

"Here?" he asked.

"Well yes, but it's just in da room. If nurses an' doc'ahs come in, I big girl again," she said.

"Who made that ru'e?"

"Mommy kinna," she told him and he gave her a curious look. "Mommy said I be wha'eva I wan. I wike being baby girl. Big girl too hard, too s'airy. Baby girl betta," she told him. "Mommy said when eva I wan, I be wha I wan. Now, I wike bein witta. Terri made me baby. Terri made big girl too too scary. Terri made baby scary too. Mommy he'p me learn. Terri made baby scary for you too?" she asked him.

"Terri made me potty," he told her and every woman in the room and hairs stand up on the back of their neck. This was going to be an intense story.

Rachel stood up and moved behind Santana. "Noah, can you see me?" she asked him and he shifted a bit, to have a clearer vision. This person looked a lot like Santana with his swollen eyes and damaged vision. He picked up his left hand though. "Thank you," Rachel told him. "So my name is Rachel and you can call me whatever you like, just as you do for Quinn and Santana," she told him. "I just want you to know that I'm here, before you start telling your story," she told him.

He picked up his left hand for a moment and then refocused on Marley. "Terri didn't make you potty?" he asked Marley.

"Um, Terri made me stuck in diapers," she said blushing heavily and even Noah noticed that she was in big girl mode. She was turning it on and off like a switch, but she had to be big now to fully understand and they both seemed to understand that.

"No, Terri made me potty," he said.

"How?" Marley asked.

He opened his mouth slightly and the infected blisters were clearly all over. Marley gasped in horror and started to cry. She very gently took Noah's hand and waited for him to tell his story. "Terri, boy dirty like potty. If I boy, I dirty, I potty," he said and he started to cry.

"Hold up," Santana said protectively and both Rachel and Quinn shot her a look as she stood up and began pacing. Quinn was standing behind Marley to keep her steady on the bed while Rachel had been standing behind Santana. "I'm not mad Noah, I'm not mad at you at all, or Marley. I am however, furious at Terri," she told him.

"You two can continue your conversation my loves. Santana just needs to walk off her extra energy," Quinn said and then she looked over at the heart monitor. She didn't want Santana's pacing to make Noah anxious.

"You were potty?" Marley asked sadly and very quietly and he raised his left hand. "To her?" she asked, afraid of the answer and again his left hand went up. "To everything?" she asked and he raised his left hand again, and Marley turned and threw up on the floor, vomiting all over Quinn's shoes and both Noah and Marley started to cry. Noah was disgusting them, so there was no way they were going to stick around to help him, and Marley was the sole reason Noah was in this situation. Both of these poor souls had been so tortured and were so disgusting to those around them, they were convinced they were going to be left behind and forgotten about.

Nurse Helen came into the room moments later with some sedatives and looked at the scene before her. She calmly stuck her head out of the room and asked for the janitor to be sent to the room. Then she looked at the three women who seemed to be more together than Marley and Noah. "Which of them needs a sedative?" she asked.

"Him first, and her if you have extra," Santana said kindly.

"I'll take whatever is left," Rachel said.

Helen administered the sedatives to both Noah and Marley and walked over to Rachel. "I take it these two are your friends and those two are your 'children'?" she asked. "I know Miss Beth and Dr. Martinez," she added when she saw Rachel's eyes widen in surprise.

"She's mine, well ours, and he will be my, well I don't know what he'll be, pretty soon. We're still learning about Noah," Rachel said.

"You're in good company with your friends dear. You don't need a sedative. You need a reminder that there are good people in the world, that you are one of them, and that the monster who tortured both of them, is officially behind bars," Helen said kindly and she gave Rachel a warm hug and left the room.

"Here, hold our baby girl," Santana said and she put a very sad, very tired looking Marley in Rachel's arms and Rachel was glad to hold her. Then she moved to the bed and looked at Noah who was now drifting off with the powerful sedative, but spoke to Quinn. "You're calling the shots when it comes to him. I will follow your lead, but I strongly suggest that you teach him that he is not a potty and that none of that will ever happen to him, ever again," she said. She didn't look up at Quinn and Quinn didn't look at her. They were both focused on the poor little boy before them, who had been severely traumatized over the last two months.

"I promise," Quinn said.

* * *

><p>Several hours later Marley was sleeping peacefully in Rachel's arms, Teddy Bear tucked tight against her and Noah was starting to wake up. His vision was still pretty terrible and he only saw blonde hair and started to panic a bit. As soon as Quinn heard his monitor she began speaking. "It's okay Noah, it's just Quinn. It's just Quinn and Santana and Rachel and Marley is sleeping. You're still in the hospital bed. You're safe," she assured him.<p>

"Wa-ah," he said, his mouth feeling glued shut. The blisters needed time to heal, but sometimes in his sleep, they would break and when he woke up, he needed water.

"I will get a nurse for you Noah, to help," Santana told him kindly and she quickly went into the hallway, only to bump into the same Nurse Helen. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "Noah's awake, he's asking for water. We don't know the procedure for this," she said.

Helen nodded and walked into the room. "Hi Noah, this is Nurse Helen. I don't know if you remember me from earlier," she told him and he raised his right hand.

"He doesn't," Quinn said protectively. "Please tell him the steps as you go through it. I don't want him to be surprised," Quinn said as respectfully as she could, but it came out pretty harsh and Quinn quickly blushed.

Santana grinned and spoke up. "You'll have to excuse us, we are very protective of the ones we are asked to look after," she said.

"As you should be. I know Miss Beth, therefore I have a rough idea the two of you, or is it three?" she asked.

"No," Rachel smiled. "Just two," she said.

"And still a Mama?" Helen asked.

"Yes, a very protective Mama, but right now, we need to focus on Noah please," Santana said noticing that Noah was looking more and more uncomfortable.

"Yes, of course," Helen smiled and she grabbed two kidney trays and a glass of water. "Alright Noah, I'm going to help you. You're going to take some sips of water, swish it around your mouth and then spit it into this kidney tray," she told him. "I have two, so you just keep going until I tell you it's okay to stop. I know it's yucky, but we have to keep at it, so you get better okay?" she asked kindly and he nodded. She helped him rinse and spit several times and Quinn had to work hard to keep her cool while he spit out cloudy water that was slightly tinged with blood at some points. Two full cups of water later, his rinse came back clear and Helen gave him lots of praise. "You did wonderfully Noah. I am very proud of you," she said. "Would you like some water to drink now?" she offered and he nodded. "I will get you fresh water from the pitcher," she told him. She poured it in the cup, and then took away the dirty water, and left the little family on their own.

"Kin?" he asked softly.

"I'm still here Noah, you can talk to me if you're ready."

"Mar-ree here?" he asked.

"Marley's here. She's over in the corner right now, curled up in Rachel's arms, still taking a nap," Quinn said.

"Why?" he asked softly.

"I think Santana can explain it better to you. If you want us to switch places so you can see her while she explains it, or she can just tell it to you," Quinn said.

"Tana hand pee," he said fishing around for it on the bed. He forced his hand to flop around. He had a vague idea of where she was, but he couldn't actually see her.

Santana took it gently and spoke kindly. "Hey Noah, I'm here," she smiled. "So you asked why Marley was sleeping right?" she asked and he raised his left hand, which happened to be the one she was holding. "Remember before when Marley told you she with Terri?" she asked and he raised his left hand. "Well when she was she didn't get to sleep a lot. She was afraid to sleep. Now that she is with safe people, her body is trying to make up for lost time, so she take naps some days. She also has to take them when she expends a lot of energy then she sleeps for a while," Santana explained.

"Kin, I bad?" Noah asked.

"Not at all Noah. You are not a bad person, you haven't done anything wrong," Quinn said.

"I vomit," he told her. "I made Mar-ree pen, ener," he said slowly, trying to communicate, but the blisters and sores in his mouth were stopping him from doing so completely.

"You didn't my sweet boy. Marley did expend a great deal of energy, and she's the one who vomited, but not because you did anything wrong. Some people just have weak stomachs. Marley is one of them," Quinn assured him.

"Tana, who at your home?" he asked.

"Well right now, it's me, Rachel, our friend Kurt, and Marley. We all live together," she said kindly.

"Rae," he said and both Quinn and Santana looked confused.

"I'm sorry Noah, try again, what does that mean?" Quinn asked him and he fell quiet, trying to think of how to say it better.

"Pee-pa," he said slowly. "Kin, Tana, Mar-ree, Rae," he said.

"Oh Rae, okay, yes, Rachel's here," Quinn said.

"I'm here Noah, I'm just over on the far right side of the room, sitting in the chair with Marley. She's still sleeping and needs some cuddle time," Rachel told him kindly.

"Rachel is our best cuddler," Quinn said. Santana was about to slip in something snarky, but Noah's next question cut her off.

"Rae wit' Mar-ree?" he asked.

"Yes I am Noah. She's just sleeping against me," Rachel explained.

Noah fell quiet again and gathered his thoughts. "Mar-ree wake up?" he asked.

"Do you want us to wake her up?" Santana asked. "Do you need to talk to her?"

"No, Mar-ree no dead, pee, Mar-ree no dead," he said sadly, his monitors indicating he was getting agitated and concerned.

"Shhh, it's okay buddy, she is not dead and she is not in trouble and Noah is not in trouble, she should be waking up soon, but we can rouse her early if you'd like," Santana said and he raised his right hand. He went quiet and turned his head a bit, to get more of Quinn's blonde hair in his vision.

"Kin," he asked softly.

"Yes buddy?" she asked him.

"Why you 'ook at me?" he asked her pointing to his eyes and Quinn thought for a moment.

"Should Quinn not look at you?" she asked and he raised his right hand. "Do you want to know why Quinn came to see you at the hospital?" she asked and he raised his left hand. "Because my boss and Santana's boss, Miss Beth, she said that there was a young man here who had fallen into some trouble and needed the help of a caring loving woman, and she thinks I'm the best fit for you," she said.

"Do you?" he asked.

"Do I what buddy?"

"T'ink you right fa' me," he clarified.

"Well we won't know until we try, but I can tell you what I think so far," she offered and he raised his left hand. "So far, I think I've met a very strong, brave, confused young man. I think you went into a situation and were one of the unlucky ones. I think Terri abused you and brainwashed you, because I think Terri is a very mean person and a very bad word that I don't think I should say in front of you. I also think that I have to earn your trust, that you're in safe hands now, that it's going to be a small struggle for all of us, but we will work through it."

"Kin, I want you to 'ook my tummy pee," he said softly.

"Can Santana and Rachel see it too?" she asked him and he raised his left hand. "Alright then Noah, so I'm going to make you a promise now. Nothing happens to you without an explanation okay? Every little move is done with you knowing it is going to happen," she said. "Understand?" she asked kindly and he raised his left hand. "Alright, so the first step, is I'm going to lower your sheets to look at your tummy, just to look and then I'll put them back okay?" she asked.

"No," he said. "'ook, I teh, 'ook pee," he insisted.

"Alright as long as that is what you are sure you want, but if you change your mind, you just let me know and I will stop," she instructed and he raised his left hand. He had to show her how ugly he was before she agreed to care for him.

She lowered the sheet to his hips, raised his gown and forced herself to not gasp. On Noah's chest, among old scars were fresh new switch blade marks, in the shape of a stitched out tic tac toe board. In some of the "boxes" it was just his skin. In other places there were two relatively small pin prick marks in a diagonal pattern. The 'board' was just above his navel, and just below was a long, nasty looking gash that Santana was convinced was still infected. What she did notice was the absence of a diaper. She didn't say anything though. She thought that question could wait.

"Noah, are you in pain with all these wounds?" Quinn asked calmly. He raised his left hand. "Is it a lot of pain?" he raised his left hand, but only a little bit. It hurt but not a great deal. "Should we get you some pain medicine?" she offered and he raised his left hand again, but only a little bit. "Do you want to try and tell Quinn exactly what you want?" she offered. They'd been on and on about him making his own choices. This should be part of that as far as Quinn was concerned, but she didn't know how much he wanted to share.

"Don't want Mar-ree to 'ook," he said.

"Alright, we will keep this hidden from Marley as best we can, but we might not be able to forever," Quinn agreed, giving a kind smile. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"I don't want to have a'wot a pay pi-w," he said and then made a face.

"I will do my best, but you have to make me a promise okay? You're supposed to get pain pills every two hours. At two hours I will ask what you want. If you don't want them, I won't make you take them. I'm going to ask you every hour after that, and then when you tell me I will give them to you. I don't want you to be afraid of them though okay? I will not let you get hooked on pain pills," Quinn said.

He raised his left hand and then though for a moment. "Mar-ree take?" he asked.

"That's a question for Santana and Rachel," Quinn said so he waited for them to move in and answer his question.

"Noah, this is Rachel, I'll answer your questions okay? Santana went to go cuddle with Marley for a little while. Marley was getting fidgety and usually that means she wants her Mommy," Rachel explained and Noah nodded. He'd felt Santana's hand slip from his when Quinn had looked at his belly earlier, but he didn't know where she'd gone. His vision was severely compromised. "Your question was about Marley and pain pills and no, she isn't on any now. She was when she first came to the hospital, but they had to give her IV's of it, because she couldn't swallow pills," she explained. "Do you have any more questions that I can answer about Marley?"

"Mar-ree wit' Terri 'ong time?" he asked.

"Marley was with Terri for about two and a half months."

"Her beat?" he asked.

"Marley and you my friend, by all accounts that I can see, were both tortured," she said honestly and kindly. Noah raised his left hand. He agreed with that statement. Torture was a good word for it.

"Rae," he asked softly.

"Yes Noah?"

"Why Mar-ree caw you Mama?"

"For two reasons. When we first met Marley, she couldn't say a lot. Her mouth was very sore and had lots of damage inside it. Marley decided that Santana would be her Mommy, because Santana has a lot of hard letters in her name and Marley couldn't say those. When we first met Marley, she could only speak her vowels and some hard sounds. M was one of them. The first day I met Marley, she cuddled with Santana for a long time and I rubbed her hands with lotion. She had very dry skin, so we tried to help fix that with lotions and creams. Marley thought she was going to have to call me Mommy too, because Rachel was too hard for her. I told her that was okay, but I didn't want Santana and I to get confused about who she was talking to. Santana was the first person she met, and that will always be her go to person and that is totally okay with me. So Marley decided that Mama Rae would be easiest for her. At some point the Rae was dropped and I'm just Mama to her now."

"Rae to me?" he asked.

"I can be Rachel to you, if you like," she smiled at him. "I know that Marley thinks you should call Quinn your Mommy, and as Quinn said, if you want to that's fine with us. I know that in Marley's mind, you're going to have Quinn as your Mommy, Santana and I would be your Aunties and Kurt would be your Uncle. As always though, that is up to you. We want you to be able to make a lot of your own decisions and we will help you whenever you need it," Rachel told her.

"Auntie?" he asked.

"Only if you want it Noah. We will make it your decision."

"What duh Mar-ree ide?" he asked.

Rachel gave a kind smile and spoke gently. "Can you ask that last word again please Noah? I didn't quite understand."

"Ide, decide," Quinn said. She'd been following his line of questioning and working on figuring out what information he was after.

"Is that right? Did Quinn interpret correctly?" Rachel asked and Noah raised his left hand. "Marley gets to decide a lot of things I think. We let her pick out her own clothes, she tells us what she wants to eat, when she wants to be a baby girl, and a big girl, what toys she wants to play with. Things like that."

Noah seemed to take in everything Rachel said and then thought for a moment. "Mar-ree," he said softly and touched his cheek. "Owies?" he asked touching his own cheek. It was the word she used earlier, and he couldn't say bruises with the damage that had been done to his mouth.

"Yes, Marley had a lot of owies when she first came to us," Rachel said kindly.

"Where?" he asked kindly and Rachel glanced toward Santana who simply nodded.

"Marley had bruises along her cheek, and other parts of her body. She also had internal damage to her muscles. She had hypothermia and dehydration just like you do and she had a few scrapes and deep scratches all over her body."

"Terri?" he asked.

"Terri gave her the bruises on her cheeks and the other issues to her body, and the scrapes and bruises were from falling out of the car when Marley was able to escape," she said.

"No," Noah said quickly and Quinn spoke up.

"It's okay Noah, we'll answer all your questions and clear everything up for you, but you have to stay as calm as you can okay?" Quinn said kindly. The second his monitors started to go wild, Quinn got extremely protective. She liked him. He was sweet. She didn't want him to experience any more complications. "No what buddy? What did Rae say that you don't agree with?" she asked.

He loved that Quinn seemed to understand him. Maybe calling her Mommy wouldn't be so bad, but he wasn't sure that was what he really wanted. He'd had a mom, who wasn't the best woman, so he was still on the fence about it. "Mar-ree kinnapp," he tried.

"Did Terri tell you that Marley was kidnapped?" Rachel asked kindly and he raised his left hand. "That is not the truth Noah. The truth is that, from what we can gather. Terri was headed to upstate New York, and Marley was found along a country road, all bashed up, because she fell out of the car they were driving in and was brought back here to this hospital by the man who found her," Rachel said.

"Man?" Noah asked.

"Yes Noah, a man, I think his name was William. He found her and brought her here," Rachel said. "I'm fairly sure that when Marley wakes up, she will tell you the same thing," she said kindly.

Noah let out a jaw cracking yawn and then winced slightly. "You seem tired Noah, why don't we let you rest and when you wake up, we can continue. Does that sound like a good plan?" Quinn offered.


	35. Chapter 35

**Happy Sunday everyone!**

**So here is the next chapter. It's a lot shorter than the previous few.**

**Warnings: Some basic descriptions, but nothing too graphic. Marley has a tantrum. She and Noah have a "fight" per say and there is also bonding time between them.**

**As always, my appreciate to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008. Many thanks to EVERYONE who has sent me PM's and suggestions and given reviews, etc. The writer's block has been cleared out, but now I have to choose a pathway to keep the story on track. I'm working on it. I'm hoping a day at the pool will help me out some more, plus time with my own nephew!**

**Be well everyone.**

* * *

><p>Kurt showed up at the hospital several hours later and was surprised to find everyone asleep, except for Marley. She was sitting up carefully on the bed, with Rachel and Santana seated behind her, using their arms as her brace to keep her steady on the bed. She looked up when Kurt came to the door and smiled at him, but put her finger to her lips. "Shhh," she told him softly. He nodded and then quietly walked into the room and gave her a kiss to her cheek.<p>

"Hey princess," he smiled at her.

"Hi Papa," she smiled giving him a hug.

"What are you doing awake and everyone else is asleep?" he asked.

"I took a nap. Dere turns now," she said softly.

"I see," he smiled. "What do you think of Noah baby girl?"

"Papa, he hurt," she told him and Kurt nodded, letting her continue, because he could see, she was bursting with information that she wanted to share with someone. She also seemed to be very protective at the moment. "Look Papa," she said pointing to his cheeks. "Same owies like me."

"I see. Do you know if Noah is in a lot of pain?" he asked her.

"He said no," Marley said softly. "Papa, he has owies in his head too," she said.

"Inside?"

"Uh huh. Terri very bad, bad, bad. Terri made him potty," she said softly and sadly. Kurt wasn't entirely sure what that meant and based on Marley's facial expressions, he wasn't going to ask. She was sad, but calm, and he wasn't going to ask her to tell him information that would get her all worked up. "But Papa," she said, almost as if she was just figuring something out. "Papa, Noah hurt, cause of me," she said.

"He is? You gave him that black eye there did you?" Kurt asked her sounding genuinely surprised and putting a bit of teasing in his voice, hoping Marley would pick up on it. She did and let out a little giggle but the tears still rolled slowly down her cheek.

"I runned away, so Terri got Noah. My faw-t," she said.

Kurt nodded his understanding and then waited for a moment before he spoke. "Do you know that you running away from Terri was a good thing?" he asked her. "It really was baby girl. I won't speak for Mommy Santana or Mama Rachel. I don't know how they feel, but I know how I feel and I know that I don't really remember my life before you. I know I had one, but now that I have you, I'm not sure I could go back. You are, our baby girl and our big girl, and more than anything else, you're our Marley," he told her.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly while he hugged her in return and rubbed her back. Small movements caught his attention and he spoke gently. "Why don't you introduce me to Noah, my love," he smiled.

Marley pushed back and waved at Noah, smiling as she snuggled into Kurt. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Wawa pee," he said.

"Papa, you give me that please?" she asked and Kurt nodded, handing her the call button. She pressed it and moments later Nurse Helen walked in and smiled.

"Oh dear, did we sedate the wrong people?" she asked with a smile.

"No, they all got tired," Marley said kindly. "Can Noah have some water please?" she asked.

"Of course loves, I have it in the hallway," she smiled. She stepped out of the room, returned with the water and walked over to the bed.

"No wait! He can't see you," Marley said protectively and Kurt simply smiled. "Talk to him please. Tell him. Aun, I mean, Quinn wants him to know everything, before it happens," she said seriously. She wanted to be a little girl in the moment, being brave was so hard, but Noah was having trouble speaking for himself, and it was all her fault, so scary or not, brave was what she had to be.

"It's just Nurse Helen Noah, and I have a glass of water here for you. I'm going to put the cup in your hand," she told him. Noah took the cup and as he took the water and swished it around, Helen spoke kindly, putting the kidney tray up to his mouth, telling him he could spit out the water anytime he wanted. As with before, it was cloudy to start, tinged very slightly with blood, and then eventually it ran clear and Helen informed him that he could drink water normally now, if he chose and then she left them alone.

"Mar-ree, who da new voy?" he asked her.

"Is my Papa. His name is really Kurt," she told him. "Papa, he can no sees you. Can you move over in da chair pee? He can see dat," she told him. Kurt smiled, gave her a kiss to her cheek and moved over to the chair. He was slightly glad to see her slipping back into little girl world. He knew why it was happening though, so he spoke gently to everyone.

"Hi Noah, my name is Kurt," he told him kindly and Noah gave a wave. "I don't know if you can say my name or not, so I'll give you options. Marley calls me Papa, because that's what she thought would be safest and easiest for her when she first met me. You can call me that too. I also know it was discussed that I might be more of an Uncle type figure to you. Again, that is your call, and I'm only going to step closer to keep Marley supported while she sits on the bed with you.

"Mar-ree, you 'ook at me, um," he said.

"You can't say all your ABC's," she said finally picking up on it. He wasn't acting little like she was, but it finally dawned on her that his speech sounded young. He shook his head and she looked at Kurt. "Papa, he needs my b'ocks. Can we b'ing dem?" she asked.

"Yes, we can bring Noah some blocks," Kurt smiled.

"You try 'gain, I fink hard an he'p you," she told Noah kindly.

"You 'ook an we aww um, nap," he said.

She nodded and smiled. "You, Mommy, Mama, and Auntie Quinn all went nye nye," she smiled at him. "You try," she smiled.

"Nye nye," he grinned and she gave him a beaming smile.

"Yay you!" she praised. "I doesn't know if you can have food," she told him. "Are you hungry? Papa can help us," she offered.

"Yeah, food okay," he told her and she smiled.

"Papa he'p pee," she said.

"I can do that. Do you think, the two of you can watch over the sleeping ladies here, while I go to the nurses' station and find out what food Noah can have?" he asked and they both nodded. "Marley when is the last time you ate baby, do you know?"

"No, I nye nye fore," she told him.

"Sleep is not always a bad thing. I'm going to find out what Noah can eat and get you both something and no arguments from you little girl, okay?' he asked her firmly and she nodded and Kurt gave her another kiss before leaving.

"You in t'oub'a?" Noah asked.

"No. Mommy just says I gotta eat more. I fat, but Mommy says no, so I gotta eat," she sighed.

"Mar-ree, you tiny!" Noah said.

"Nuh-uh," she said shaking her head. "I cow. So fat," she told him.

"Tana to'd you?" he asked her.

"No, Terri," she informed him.

"Terry, mean, very, very, very mean," he told her. "Terri Eye-er," he said.

"Kay, so how'd you get that black eye?" Marley asked and the stern tone in her voice startled Rachel awake, but neither Noah nor Marley noticed. Rachel opened her eyes and just watched. Marley wasn't in front of her, so she couldn't see and she was out of Noah's line of vision, so he would know either.

"Terri pun'd me," he said.

"And did she say why?"

"Ang-ry," he said slowly.

"Do you know what day she did it?"

"Few day a-go," he said.

"Yeah, but think how many specifically," Marley said and Noah was starting to get both fearful of where Marley was going with her line of questioning and concerned that Marley was about to make a leap to some conclusion that just wasn't reality. He didn't notice that she was now fully grown up. This was a very enraged, confused, and guilt-ridden nineteen year old, soon to be twenty year old, talking to him. Rachel however, noticed it right away. When Marley changed that fast, with that much attitude, only trouble was bound to follow.

"Four," he said after a long pause.

"See!" she yelled and Rachel sat up, prepared to move if she had to. She was hoping Marley would calm down and the two would work it out themselves. Her hope was about to be dashed. "My fault! It's all my fault. You can't see cause of me! Terri was in jail, prison, being held because I told my damn story, or what I could manage to tell at the time, but it didn't work! They released her, and then she went back and beat the shit out of you!" she yelled at him.

"Marley Rose, stop yelling," Rachel scolded, startling both of them.

"NO!" she screamed. "It's my fault! I'm a big fat cow, who is just a lazy slut, and some damn freak, who can't do anything right and because of all those horrible things, look what happened to him! It's all my fault!" she yelled.

All of her yelling had woken both Quinn and Santana by now. "You and I need to go have a talk little girl," Santana said.

"No! No more talking! I'm done! Look what I did! How can any of you think that this is okay? That I'm not a horrible person?! How can you not see what I'm seeing?!" she yelled and angry tears began to cascade down her face. "I can't walk, I can barely crawl some days. My brain is completely screwed up. I'm happier being some stupid, slutty, baby girl, than a teenager, or an adult for that matter! I caused this much pain and suffering to another person, and all because I just wanted someone to love me and care for me, and fuck of a lot good that did. I've interrupted everyone's life and made his worse!" she cried and Santana calmly stood up and walked over to the bed. She wanted to grab her little girl and hold her tight.

"Are you done yelling now?' she asked and Marley deflated like a balloon.

"You should all just leave me. I've hurt too many people," she cried and she collapsed forward into hysterical cries. She just couldn't do anything right.

"And now we go have our little talk," Santana said and with struggles and screaming and a lot of kicking from Marley, Santana wrestled her into a bear hug, and carried her over to the corner of the room, being sure that they were hopefully in Noah's line of sight. The last thing they needed was for Noah to think Marley was being abused again.

"Kin!" he cried out. He knew Quinn would be safe. He seemed to trust her the most.

"I'm right here buddy," she said stepping into his line of vision.

"Kin, Mar-ree kay, He'p her!" he said and his monitors started to go a bit funny.

"Shhh," Quinn soothed kindly. "It's alright Noah, Santana is just holding Marley in her arms, that's all," Quinn said above the screaming and the crying sounds that Marley was making.

"No, no, no," he said not believing her. He knew how this worked, when babies had little outburst like that, they got smacked. When anyone made any noise that seemed slightly disrespectful, they got punished, he got punished. Terri made sure of it. Santana may have appeared calm, but he was positive Santana wouldn't stand for her outburst. Marley had screamed and sworn and done all the things that get 'children' into a lot of trouble.

"Shhh, okay bud, okay, just listen to me. What if I show you what Santana's doing? Can Quinn do that?" she offered and he gave her a funny look. "I know it's a lot to ask," she said kindly. "I also think you can't see them. I know Santana tried to move to where you could, but maybe it's too far away right now. If I show you, then you'll know that Marley is okay and she's just freaking out right now," Quinn explained.

"Which she does a lot Noah," Rachel added in softly. Her words earned her a dirty look from Santana as Marley screamed. "No, you don't get to look at me like that. It's the truth. It's not good or bad, it's what is, and she's screaming, because her foot just slammed into that," Rachel said pointing to the radiator and then she went over and helped restrain Marley some more in order to avoid further injury.

"What do you say Noah?" Quinn asked. "Do you trust me enough to physically show you, what is happening to Marley right now, or do you want to just trust my words?" she asked him. "No matter what your decision is, that's what we'll do," she told him.

He thought for a moment. There were no cattle prods or stun guns or very sharp weaponry in the hospital that he could think of. He did however fish around for the call button as a back up, just in case. Once he had it locked firmly in his hand, he spoke. "You do to me," he told her and his voice was deadly seriously.

"Alright, I will," Quinn said kindly. She moved closer to him and began speaking gently. "I have to move you forward, so I can crawl in behind you," she told him as she gently put her hand on his shoulder. He'd forgotten about the cane marks across his back by now. They didn't sting anymore, and Quinn worked hard to ignore them when his gown flapped open in the back and she caught sight of them. She explained to him as she crawled in behind him and then wrapped her body around him that this was exactly what Santana was doing and he got very confused.

"Why her ye'y?" he asked.

"I don't know, Noah, we can ask Rachel to come explain it to us," Quinn said.

"Rae," Noah called out to her.

"Hang on buddy," Rachel said kindly and she placed her hand on Marley's cheek and kept it there even though Marley flinched. "Shhh. It's Mama baby, you're okay. It's Mama's hand on your cheek and Mommy's arms around you," she tried.

"I BAD!" Marley wailed.

"No, you aren't Marley. Marley is a good girl who got into trouble and is making a recovery. You are not now, nor will you ever be, bad," Rachel told her. Marley finally broke free from Rachel's hands and turned into Santana, holding on as tightly as she could and still crying.

"Go, I got her now," Santana said. "Thank you," she added kindly and so Rachel stood up and she went over to take Noah's hand.

"Noah wants to know why Marley is still yelling and wailing," Quinn said kindly, and truth be told, she was curious as well.

"Marley is currently very confused. She thinks this is all her fault because Terri brainwashed her into thinking she is a lot of bad words. We try not to say those words around Marley, because they are not true. We've all used them before, but now that Marley is with us, we do our best to be extremely careful. Terri called her things like slut, and whore, and I think we're realizing fat was one of the words as well. We've heard about stupid and dumb in the past, as well as coward. Now of course none of that is true. Marley is none of those things, but Marley can get herself very worked up and when she does, she becomes one giant raw nerve ending, and has a tantrum or a melt down, or something. Kurt read in a book about para something or other and the nervous system, so what we do, when she's in that I-have-to-run-away-mode, we hold her tight and speak very softly to her," Rachel said.

"Parasympathetic," Quinn said. "It makes up half the nervous system," she smiled. "You hold them tight to give them the calming effect and soothe their nerves. We studied it in one of my anatomy classes," she said.

"Yes, that," Rachel agreed.

"Mar-ree not bad word," Noah said.

"No, buddy, she isn't, but she doesn't believe that yet, so we have to keep reassuring her. Did Terri call you any bad words?" Rachel asked kindly.

"I can't tew. Hurt," he said pointing to his mouth.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry," Rachel said honestly and he believed her. He was noticing that it was really nice being in Quinn's arms and she was calmly stroking his right hand with hers, while his left one held the call button, but now his grip was not so tight on it.

Rachel was about to ask another question when Kurt walked in with bags of food and sighed when he saw the scene before him. "I only went for food, how long was I gone?" he asked.

* * *

><p>It had been twenty minutes now and Santana was still sitting in the chair, in the far corner of the room, holding her little girl tight in her arms and rocking her gently. "When you're calm then we can talk," she told her and Marley just hung on tightly. "Easy sweetheart, you can relax. If you tense too much, your muscles will go into spasm, and I know that is very painful for you. Just keep breathing with me," Santana coached and she worked on keeping her own breath calm and steady.<p>

"Ana," Marley whimpered.

"What's up sweetheart?" Santana asked kindly.

"Why so hard? Why it hurts so much?" she asked her.

"Shhh, one question at a time sweetheart. Why is what so hard? Let's start with that."

"Covery," she whimpered, staying curled tight into Santana's body. There was no way she was letting go of the one person she truly trusted now.

"Recovery is hard for everyone sweetheart. Yours is more difficult, because of all the mean things Terri said to you. She did mean things to your body, and that is a slow process, but it's much harder to heal your brain," Santana explained and Marley cried softly. She didn't like that answer.

"I listened Mommy," she said softly. "I did. I no moved, an' I talked funny, an' I did what she said, an' her s'ill beated me, an' had big men hur' me," she cried.

"I know baby, and that was wrong. Terri shouldn't have done any of those things to you, or to anyone for that matter. But think about this my love, you ran away. You got very brave and found your courage and you got away from her," Santana tried.

"No, cause now, Noah," Marley whimpered.

"Yes, it's true, Noah got hurt, but Noah got out too, and now Terri is officially locked up. She is not getting out. This is not like a few days ago when you told your story and they said they couldn't hold her. This is very different baby. I promise," Santana told her.

"Mommy?" she asked.

"Yes my love?"

"I hun'gee, an I sorries I baby," she said sadly.

Santana gave a smile and gently put her finger under Marley's chin and lifted gently. "Firstly, I'm very glad to hear your hungry and I will get you food in a moment. Secondly, I'm going to tell you this again, and as many times as it takes until you believe me. You are a beautiful, smart, and talented girl. If you want to be nineteen years, or nineteen months, or anywhere in between, as long as you feel comfortable, then I'm okay with that, do you understand?" she asked her and Marley nodded her agreement. "Good girl, now let's have something to eat," Santana said kissing her forehead.

Kurt brought over a hamburger and some french fries. "I know it looks big, but I thought you and Mommy could share," he suggested, then he gave her a kiss and left them alone to eat, while he moved back over to Rachel, Quinn, and Noah. "Okay, so Noah, I don't know if you've decided what you want to call me, but when you do, you let me know please," he said and Noah simply nodded.

"I talked to your doctor, and they say that because of your injuries, you can actually eat whatever you want, but as soon as you're done, you have to rinse with a listerine and water mix to prevent any further infection. As soon as you finish your hot dog, or however much of it you like, either Quinn or Rachel or I will help you," he offered.

"T'ank you," Noah said and he carefully took a few more tiny bites, but Kurt watched as he chewed the food properly and then swallowed. He seemed to be a good eater, which Kurt was grateful for. He wasn't sure their house could hold two people with such severe food issues.

* * *

><p>Marley was pretty awake after eating and looked up at Santana. "I wanna talk to Noah," she said softly.<p>

"You can talk to him baby. You can even sit on the bed like you were before, but I have a condition," Santana told her. "The moment you start saying this is all your fault, the discussion is over and you will go sit in time out for two minutes. Not because you are in trouble, but because I want you to take a moment and think, and figure out why we all keep telling you, it is not your fault, understood?" Santana asked.

Marley nodded her understanding and was helped over to the bed. She sat down and looked at Noah for a moment and Quinn spoke kindly. "Remember my loves, you can ask each other questions and communicate however you like, but we do not demand anything from each other. Suggestions are fine, orders are not," Quinn said and both of them nodded. Marley crossed her legs under her and looked at him for a moment, developing her question. She had to think about what she wanted to ask before she asked it, otherwise, she was going to end up in time out. She knew full well that Santana was deadly serious about her condition.

"Um," she said thoughtfully. "Did you wanna be litt-a like I did?" she asked softly.

"No," he answered and she tilted her head to the side.

"No?" she asked.

"No," he confirmed and then he didn't say any more, so Marley decided to try a different question.

"How you meet Terri?" she asked.

"Ad, in da paper," he said slowly.

"You memba wha' it said?" she asked.

"No," he told her.

"Her made you baby?" she asked.

"No," he said.

"How you en' up wif her?" she asked.

"Kid-apped, at coffee," he said softly.

"You were kidnapped Noah?" Quinn asked kindly and he nodded.

"Wait, you were just sitting there, minding your own business and she just took you?" Rachel asked and again Noah nodded. Something wasn't sounding right though but she kept quiet and let the two continue while she silently grabbed a pen and paper and started to take notes.

"Her taked you from you house?" Marley asked.

"No, cah-ee 'op," he said and then rolled his eyes. That didn't sound normal at all. He wanted to answer her question, but as some of the important letters were gone, he couldn't, so he carefully reached for her hand and began drawing letters. The first was a C and Marley just looked at him. "You 'ook, den 'ay," he told her and he drew it again.

"C," she smiled and he nodded and kept going. "O...F...F...E...E S...H...O...P," Marley smiled. "Her taked you in a coffee shop?" Marley asked and he nodded. "How?" Marley yawned and then started to lean over, so Kurt kindly moved over to the bed.

"Pause please. Before you two continue, Marley is looking a bit tired, I'm going to move behind her and support her body, okay Noah?" he asked and Noah nodded. Kurt slipped in behind Marley and she cuddled up in his lap. "Alright continue," he said and Noah reached for Marley's hand.

He absolutely loved her hand. They were soft and pretty. Her nails weren't done, and her fingers were a bit too thin, and there was some discoloration in them, from the little that he could see, but holding her hand gave him such a serge of hope that he wished he could hold her hand forever. He gave her a smile and then began to draw. "K...L...O...R...I...P...H...I...L...M," Marley spelled and then she feel quiet. "I don't know dat word Mommy," she said sadly.

"That's alright, try again honey," Santana said kindly. She didn't know the word either. Noah will you spell it again? I'll write it down this time," she said and he repeated the same letters. "Kloriphilm," Santana wrote down and showed it to Rachel, Quinn, and Kurt, who all shrugged. Everyone had a relatively long day. Thinking was not their strong point at the moment. "You know what my loves, why don't we take a little break," Santana said kindly. "It's been a long day for everyone and I think rest would help us all, okay?"

Everyone agreed about this and then Noah turned to look at Quinn. "Kin," he said softly. "Kin I potty," he whispered.

"You have to go?" she asked him and he raised his left hand. "Alright, well since you are hooked up to a lot of IV's, I will get you set with a bed pan, and then step out of the room, to give you some privacy okay?" she asked and he lifted his right hand. He didn't want her to leave, he was going to need help. "You don't want the bed pan?" Quinn asked and he raised his right hand, negating what she said. "You do want the bed pan," she said and he raised his left hand. "Alright, let me get that first," she told him and she told everyone else to leave the room and set him up with it. "Are you sure you don't want privacy Noah?" she asked him.

"Faww down," he told her, keeping a tight grip on her body as she helped him to hover over the bed pan. "I hug you," he told her and she nodded at him. He leaned forward and rested his head on her shoulder while doing his business and then he started to cry softly out of embarrassment.

"Maybe Quinn should go in front of you too?" she offered kindly, while rubbing his back and massaging his scalp and he let out a little laugh. "It's okay that you need help Noah, and go slow with you, and try to figure things out so that we don't get so frustrated. You're going to take time to recover, but it will happen, and I will do everything I can to help you okay? I know that Santana, Rachel, Kurt and Marley will help too," she told him.

"Keen up," he said softly.

"Yes, we have to do that. Now, do you think you can clean yourself up, or do you need some help?" she asked.

"He'p. Kin he'p," he told her.

"Thank you for trusting me Noah," she told him and gave him a smile. "I'm going to have you hold on to me. I'm going to take away the bed pan and then have you lay down on your tummy. I will hold your hand and clean you up okay?" she asked and he had tears in his eyes, but he agreed. He couldn't really clean himself up, his arms weren't strong enough yet.

After he was cleaned, Quinn spoke kindly. "I'm going to help you to turn onto your back Noah," she told him. Noah decided in these last few moments that Quinn was a good care taker and if Marley trusted her, the way she trusted Santana, Rachel, and Kurt, maybe he would be okay now. He really liked Marley though. She was beautiful, and smart. She knew what she wanted and she wasn't afraid of it. It was almost like she had an angelic glow and Noah was determined to get better and learn more about her.

* * *

><p>After some time, the room was fully crowded again and Noah and Marley were settled into the bed, somehow together, and he told her to put whatever she wanted on the television. She flipped through some of the channels and found a discovery network show called 'How It's Made', so she left that on. The two of them were out in minutes as the announcer of the show, with the lovely voice went on about the makings of paint balls.<p>

"Um, guys," Quinn said softly from her spot behind the 'kids'. They all turned to look at her and at her horrified facial expression the three stood up and went to see what was wrong. They'd learned over time, that they should be prepared for anything and everything. Noah's hospital gown had opened up in back as he curled himself carefully around Marley and now Quinn could see cane marks as well as wider marks that ran in a large diagonal pattern, from his shoulder to his hip. Santana put her hand out in front of her and tried to use it to cover the mark, trying to gage the size of what the implement had been. Unable to figure anything out right away, she took a deep breath and pulled out her phone.

"Put it on silent," Rachel hissed kindly. They'd taken a picture once, of Marley, in her sleep, because she just looked too cute to miss the opportunity. The click however, frightened her awake and as soon as it had, she tried to run. Santana nodded, turned the phone to mute, took several pictures and then texted them to Beth. "We can't figure out what was used for this, please advise," was all she wrote. She hit send, gave her phone to Quinn and then took a step back.

"I need some time," she started and they went to say something, but she held up her hand. "Alone. I can not do what I need to do, with any of you there," she said.

"Santana, you can not do anything that will land you in jail, you can't. Marley needs you. We need you," Rachel said.

"You can skip the dramatics Berry, I'm not going to do anything that will land me in jail," she growled and then she turned to Quinn. "Hang on to my phone, when it comes through from Miss Beth, either call, or text, but get her to answer your questions," she told her and then she turned to Rachel and Kurt. "No matter what happens, keep her calm. I will be back in a few hours, but I need to get away," she said and with a very quick kiss to everyone's cheek, she started out of the room.

"Hey," Kurt called after her and she stopped to turn around. He tossed her his phone and gave a smile. "Be safe," he told her seriously. She nodded and left the room.

"She kisses people now?" Quinn asked in surprise.

"Only her bear cubs," Rachel laughed.

"Welcome to the pack," Kurt said.


	36. Chapter 36

**Happy Sunday Everyone,**

**I hope you are all doing well. This story is frustrating me, as I am still a bit stuck. I know where end game is, I just don't know how to get there, and that makes it a bit of a challenge. I also feel that this chapter may bore some of you as reading over it, it feels very repetitive, however I personally feel that in this specific situation, or ones similar, some people get stuck in repetitive patterns and Marley is DEFINITELY one of those people. I am getting her help, I swear!**

**Warnings: There are NO graphic warnings for this chapter. There aren't any hints at a graphic situation. Talk of two graphic actions, but they are just two words, mentioned one time each. Nothing descriptive. You all know these words already. We'll go with a mix of angst and fluff for this chapter, how's that?**

**As always, thank you to, NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Thank you to all my readers, followers and reviewers for the reviews you leave and the private messages you send me. Some days, they are the best little pick me up, that I'm looking for. I LOVE hearing from all of you, so please keep it up. **

**What you also might be interested in, is that I'm working on a new story as well. I WILL ABSOLUTELY FINISH THIS STORY first, but just know that a happier, fluffier, one, that is age play centric, is coming.**

**I wish you all a happy day and please review if you have the time!**

**Be well my friends.**

* * *

><p>Santana roamed the streets of New York, visiting various stores, looking for different things for Marley. She knew her birthday was in eight days and she had to find something special for her baby. It had to be unique and have meaning. She wanted something that would represent both Marley's big girl side and the baby girl side. It had to be important and have duality to it, and as Santana roamed and roamed, she became more distraught. Nothing was standing out to her.<p>

She continued to wander and then checked her watch. Marley should hopefully still be sleeping, so she decided to call in and check. "Hey," Rachel said softly as she answered her phone.

"Hey, I need a status update," she said and Rachel heard it in Santana's voice. She sounded very sad and lost.

"Noah, Quinn, and Kurt are sleeping," Rachel said.

"Marley's up?" she asked, immediately going on alert.

"Not quite. She had a nightmare, she's in my lap cuddled up tight," Rachel said. "You want to talk to Mommy baby?" Marley shook her head no. She wasn't ready for talking. "Are you sure baby? I know Mommy would love to talk to her beautiful sweet Marley," Rachel said. "Sorry, Mommy, not now," Rachel said after a few moments.

"I'll be back shortly," she told her.

"Just be," Rachel started and then she yelped softly. "Ow, Baby, it's okay, just don't pull so hard on Mama's necklace okay?" she asked her gently releasing Marley's death grip.

"I'll be back sooner than shortly," Santana said. They disconnected and Santana jumped on the train that took her back to the closest point to the hospital. Once she was on the train, she heard a little boy talking to his father.

"Daddy, is Mom gonna like it maybe?" he asked.

"I'm sure she will bud. Mom loves the necklaces we've gotten her in the past, and this is even more special, because it has your name as well as your brother's name on it," he said and Santana was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Excuse me. Where did you get your necklace?" she asked them.

"Oh at Macy's it's for my mom, for mother's day," the little boy said.

"Thank you very much. You've just helped me a great deal," she smiled and at the next stop, she got off the train and walked as fast as she could to the hospital. Turning into the room, she saw Kurt holding Marley, rather than Rachel and she gave him a look of confusion, but decided to talk to Marley instead. "Hey baby girl," she smiled.

Marley didn't speak, she simply let her body roll off of Kurt's lap and fall into Santana's body and hung on tightly. "Oooh, my baby girl. I missed you," Santana said gently giving her a kiss to her temple. "Where's Mama?" she asked her kindly and Marley simply pointed to the bathroom. "Oh I see. Well when I talked to Mama before, she said you had a bad dream, are you okay now?" she asked her and Marley shook her head no, hung on tight and started crying. She was so frustrated and despite what people kept telling her, she felt solely responsible for Noah being abused and tortured for the past two and a half months. She knew exactly how much damage could be done in two and a half months. "Talk to me baby girl, I will try and help," Santana said.

"You put me in time out," she whimpered.

"For talking to me?" Santana asked her gently.

"Fer sayin' is my faw," she whimpered a few more tears falling down her cheeks.

"Shhh, okay, Mommy promises, no time out. I need you to talk to me though sweetheart," Santana told her. "Whatever you want to tell me, I want to know," she said.

"I run'd way. Terri mean. Hurt'd me," she hiccuped and Kurt brought her a cup of water, putting it gently in her hands and she paused to take a small sip. "I run'd buh her foun' Noah, an' juss hurt'd him," she cried. "So mad at me, so mean, my faw, he didn' need it. If I day'd, he would no be hurt," she said and then she hung on tighter to Santana.

"And you'd be dead," Santana thought to herself, but she simply cuddled her baby tight to her body, gathering her words, before speaking. "Marley baby, look at me sweetheart," she told her gently. "What Terri did to you and to Noah was pure abuse. Terri is a very sick individual and is now in jail, paying the price for what she did to the two of you. I want you to think about something though okay?" she asked and waited for Marley to respond. "You know what addictions are right?" Santana asked and Marley nodded. "There are good addictions and bad ones. Mama is addicted to Broadway. Not my addiction of choice, but she is absolutely, one hundred percent, addicted. All she ever wants to do is be on Broadway. That is a good addiction. There are not so good addictions as well, drugs, and alcohol come to mind. Those are only not so good, because if you want to, you can recover from them. You have to want it and fight though, but as long as you do, then you can kick that addiction and develop a good one. After that, there are bad addictions. Bad addictions are things like rapists and serial killers."

"Dems pee-pa Mommy," Marley said, her face etched with confusion.

"Yes baby, that's true, they are. But what they do, the rape and the killing, some people are truly addicted to it. It gives them that same great feeling that Mama gets when she gets a new part in a show," Santana explained and Marley looked confused and distressed about this. No one had ever explained it to her like this before. "Terri might be one of those people. I personally think she is and it's very wrong. For some reason, causing pain to the two of you made her deliriously happy, even though her causing pain is wrong. You ran away and saved yourself, which I am so very proud of. We don't yet know why Noah went to meet Terri at the coffee shop, and maybe when he's ready he'll tell us, but he did not get hurt because of you. If it wasn't you, or Noah, it would have been anyone else. She has a very bad addiction and nothing you could have done would have changed that. People with addictions like that, they have something different in their brain and nothing can be done," she explained and then took a pause to have it all sink in.

"Do you understand everything Mommy just told you about Marley?" Kurt asked her kindly and she nodded that she did. "Do you think you can try to believe that?" he offered her. He knew there was a difference and he also knew that Marley still had a lot of guilt over Noah. The fact that he had compromised vision, simply made it worse.

"It looks like my faw, but I tie Papa," she told him softly.

"Thank you for trying sweetheart, I'm very proud of you," Kurt told her and he leaned in and gave her loving kiss.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Santana was getting ready to gather her household and go home, leaving Quinn with Noah. She wanted to give the two of them proper time to bond. "Come on love, let's say goodbye to Noah and Quinn," she told Marley kindly.<p>

"Where we go?" Marley asked. She was currently lying on the bed, next to Noah and the two were watching reruns of FRIENDS.

"We're going home silly," Santana smiled.

"No," Marley said looking panicked and concerned all of a sudden.

"No?" Santana asked.

"No," Marley said seriously. "We can't leave," she told her.

"Really? And why is that?" Santana asked kindly as she placed Teddy Bear and Panda into the back pack, so they could take everything home that they'd brought with them.

"Noah, no be awone," she said softly.

"What's Auntie Quinn then? A statue?" Santana asked with a smile.

"No," Marley said looking scared that she had done or said something wrong.

"Calm down honey, I just want to know why you don't want to leave?" Santana told her.

"You can go Mar-ree. I be ay-ff," Noah told her.

"Buh you awone," she told him.

"Kin here. Her p'otect me. Her promi'd me," he explained and she looked over at Quinn.

"You will?" Marley asked, not having moved an inch. She was afraid to leave Noah. What if Terri came back. What if Quinn couldn't really be trusted. What if it was all an act and they were leaving Noah with another terrible person. Marley wouldn't be able to handle that. It would be all her fault again, because she didn't fight hard enough.

Quinn seemed to sense that Marley was playing the what if game, so she moved a little closer, pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. "Alright lady bug," Quinn smiled. "I can still call you that right?" she asked and Marley nodded. She did like the nickname. "Alright, well you ask me any question for any type of scenario you want and I will answer it for you," Quinn told her and Marley seemed to get quiet and think about it.

"You gonna leave him?" she asked softly, but her voice dripped with venom.

"Watch your tone Marley," Santana told her. She was angry, Santana could see it in her eyes, and she was fine with Marley being angry, she just didn't want her to lash out at Quinn, or anyone for that matter, for no reason.

"She's fine," Quinn said kindly to Santana. "And yes, I will leave him later tonight. There is a security guard here on duty. I am not allowed to stay. Miss Beth asked already and they denied me, just like they denied Santana when she came to visit you when you were here," Quinn said.

"NO! Mommy!" Marley snapped.

"Marley Rose, this is your last warning. You can ask your questions, but Quinn has done nothing wrong, so calm down, and stop yelling at her, or we are leaving without your questions getting answered," Santana said.

"I'm not staying up half the night with you," Rachel hissed in Santana's ear. Santana rolled her eyes and looked at Marley. She was dangerously close to losing it and Santana wasn't entirely sure how to pull her back to a calm state, but one thing was for certain, Marley was not going to get away with being rude. If she was going to be forced to leave and be up half the night crying and screaming then so be it. Actions had consequences.

"How long you be here?" she asked.

"For another three hours. Noah and I have to work on our communication skills and talk to a police officer, and then he is going to go to sleep and I'm coming back to your house," Quinn explained.

Marley looked down at her hands and thought for a moment. She had to know that Quinn was safe, but she didn't know how to do that. So far, everything had been okay and earlier in the day, Quinn even supported her body while she sat on the bed. "Mama?" she asked looking up and past Quinn to the doorway. "Noah has you phone to call for he'p, if he nee's it,' she said.

"I can't give him my phone baby. I need my phone for work. I'm waiting for my agent to call with my audition schedule next week," Rachel told her kindly and before Marley could ask anyone else, Quinn pulled out her phone.

"I'll give him mine when I leave Marley. Will that make you feel better?" Quinn asked.

"How I know you not lie?" she asked her calmly and honestly and Santana wanted to scold her, but didn't. She was being calm, so there was no need to yell.

"Do you remember how many hours I said I was leaving in?" Quinn asked.

"Fwee," she said softly.

"That's right, so, in three hours, I will call Mommy and you can talk to Noah on the phone, to make sure I haven't lied, until I show up at your house. This way, he has the phone with him and you know I wasn't lying," Quinn told her.

Marley thought about this for a moment and decided this was a good plan, but then something struck her. She remembered. Miss Beth had been sitting on the bed. She'd woken them up, so Marley could go tell her story, because Terri was in Bushwick. Terri had been looking for her. What she didn't know was if Terri was looking for Santana, Kurt, and Rachel too. "Terri know you?' she asked softly.

"I don't think so," Quinn said honestly.

"She shouldn't baby," Santana said from the door.

"She knowed you!" Marley challenged.

"Calm," Santana warned her. "Yes, she did, but she came to Mommy's work that's how she found me. Terri is officially in jail and staying there for quite some time, so she doesn't know Quinn," Santana explained.

"You has phone?" she asked Quinn.

Quinn thought for a moment and then smiled. "Actually," she said, "earlier Mommy gave me her phone so I could talk to Miss Beth, while you took a nap, so I will give Noah my phone and I will bring home Mommy's phone, so that you know we are both safe, does that sound alright?" she bargained and in that moment, she realized she was dealing with a very smart, very tall, very concerned, toddler like, young lady.

Marley nodded and then looked at Noah. "You sure you kay?" she asked him with great concern and he got lost in her eyes for a moment. She was still a blur, but to him, she was the most gorgeous blur, he'd ever seen.

"I be okay. Kin is nye," he told her.

"Kay, I gives you hugs. I be soff," she told him and waited for him to agree before she began to wiggle. Her feet, very ungracefully slung over the bed as she rolled onto her belly, her feet touching the floor and she carefully pressed her body into his and then tried to wiggled herself back to standing.

Santana moved in and spoke kindly. "I'm right behind you Marley. I'll help you stand up," Santana told her. With help, she stood up and the four of them started to leave. "Call us as you're coming home please," Santana told her and then the four were gone.

* * *

><p>They made it home half an hour later and Marley dropped to her knees and crawled over to her toy box. She pulled out all of her blocks and then started to get frustrated. She started saying her alphabet and setting up her blocks, to make sure she had all of them. Rachel wanted to say something, but decided against it and simply walked over to Kurt and wrapped him in a hug. "What is she doing?" she whispered to him.<p>

"She told me she wants to give Noah her blocks to help him with communication," he told her and she smiled.

"I am so proud of her," Rachel smiled and they both watched her count her blocks while Santana put a snack together for her. After a moment, Rachel moved to the phone and pressed play on the machine. It let out a beep and Marley looked up in shock. "It's just the messages baby," Rachel told her kindly and Marley went back to digging out all twenty six blocks.

"As soon as your done baby, snack time," Santana called to her.

"Kay," she said and started to whine softly when she couldn't find all the blocks to bring to Noah the next day.

"It's alright baby, we'll look for them in the morning. Come have your snack please," Santana told her.

"No, Mommy, he needs them, I gotta fine dem," she said and the tears started to build up in her eyes.

"Marley honey, it's okay, let's have your snack now and then I'll help you look for them," she said.

"I can't do anything right!" Marley screamed and she hurled two blocks across the room, having them crash into the bookcase and Santana put on her sternest, look.

"Not okay! Not by a long shot! Into the corner now!" she said.

"NO! I gotta help Noah and I can't do anything right!" she screamed.

"Into the corner by yourself for five minutes, or I will help you there and you'll stay for seven minutes!" Santana told her.

"NO!" she screamed. "I GOTTA HE'P HIM. I GOTTA!" she screamed.

"Stop screaming," Santana said sharply and Marley beat her fists on her thighs while drumming her heels into the floor, in pure frustration. "You can finish your tantrum in the corner little lady," Santana said and Marley looked up at her and screamed again.

"Is she dying?" Kurt called from his room.

"No!" Santana called back and Rachel simply stood in the doorway and watched. Then she went into her room to do some research about the bruises she was sure Marley was going to have from her little tantrum. "Corner Marley, right now!" Santana said and Marley ignored her and continued her tantrum, so Santana waited for her to finish. Once she finished, Santana knelt in front of her. "Last chance little girl. By yourself to calm down and think about why throwing things is wrong, or with my help and you'll think longer!" Santana warned her.

"I can't do anything!" Marley wailed and Santana took a deep breath and helped Marley to stand and guided her to the corner, but Marley was basically a rag doll at this point. All she knew was that she was doing everything she could to help and nothing was working right. She'd had a time out with Noah because she told him he had to call Quinn his Mommy. She threw up when he was honest and told her a part of his story, and now she was having another time out because she'd had a tantrum and threw blocks. She only threw the blocks out of frustration, because in her mind, if she didn't get all the blocks together tonight, she was going to stall everyone in the morning. She was trying to be perfect. She was trying to be a big girl too fast and it was just too much for her to handle mentally. Terri had been right after all, she was nothing but a lazy baby slut and that's all she'd ever be. Marley curled up into herself, sending her legs into spasm, and cried in the corner, for the entire seven minutes that Santana wanted her there as well as an additional ten minutes while Santana held her and tried to calm her down.

"Rachel!" Santana called out and Rachel went running. It was rare for Santana to use her real name, so it had to be important. "We need Teddy Bear and or Panda, a pacifier, and my cell phone please," she said. Rachel frowned but gathered all the items and handed them to Santana. "Stay here please," she said and Rachel gave her a curious look, but stayed with them, while Santana rocked slowly and dialed a number into her phone. "Yes, hi, this is Santana, I need to speak with Doctor Isabelle, please," she said and Marley started shrieking. She heard doctor and as far as she was concerned that meant they were sending her away.

"Crap. Kurt!" Rachel called and she pulled Marley into her arms and held her tight. Kurt showed up and they took her into the living room while Santana went to the kitchen, and cuddled her on the couch. "Shhh, calm down baby, you're okay. Mama and Papa have you and Mommy will be right here and then we are going to have your snack and all go to bed," Rachel said kindly.

"Yes hi, this is Santana Lopez, I'm calling to set up an appointment for Marley Rose, I believe Beth Harris said you'd be expecting my call," she said kindly.

"Ah yes, my dear cousin was very insistent that you get this number directly and from what I can hear in the background, I think I understand the reason why. When would you like your appointment Santana?" she asked kindly.

"No," Santana said. "I mean, yes, but, I called to get information first. What kind of therapist are you?" she asked calmly.

"A psychotherapist. Beth wants me to talk to Marley and help her understand that the lifestyle she thinks she wants, no matter how in depth she wants to go, is not wrong, as well as to help her learn that everything Terri told her is pure crap," Isabelle said.

"We will take your very first opening," Santana said and Isabelle could hear the relief in her voice.

"Can I text this number?" Isabelle asked and Santana said yes. "Go be with Marley now and I will text you the availability for the week in the morning and we'll take it from there," Isabelle said kindly. "Have a good night and know that I will do everything in my power to help Marley, but it isn't going to be easy and what you hear now, may happen as we peel back the layers of the onion," Isabelle said kindly and then she hung up.

Santana hung up and looked at her phone, making a face. "I hate onions," she said to the phone. Then she took a deep breath and walked over to the couch. "Come here princess," she said kindly and she pulled Marley up into her arms and Marley didn't even hesitate to wrap her legs around Santana's waist and simply cry. She held on tight and trembled violently. "I know, I know, shhh, come on. Bath time first, then snack, then bed," she told her gently and turned to move, but Kurt quickly stood up. Rachel followed suit and the two of them very carefully moved Santana and Marley into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Santana was on the couch, holding Marley tight in her arms, feeding her the blackberries she should have eaten the hour before. Luckily it wasn't too far off her eating schedule. Marley ate them without complaint and drank her water in whatever cup they gave her, doing her best to be neat about it all. If she spilled a drop they were going to beat her, she was sure of it. It was at that moment that Santana noticed, no one had really said anything to her since they came out of the bathroom and Marley was completely rigid.<p>

"What if Papa picked out a movie for everyone to watch," Santana suggested and Marley simply nodded slowly. "Or, maybe we can sing a song?" she asked and Marley nodded again. Marley didn't care. Whatever Santana said she would do, she just didn't want to be sent away, but it was too late. She'd done too many wrong things, and now they were giving her to Dr. Isabelle, probably to have her committed to a mental hospital.

"I think a movie is a good idea," Kurt said kindly, because he could see Marley fighting sleep, even though she was eating her snack without complaint. "What do you think baby girl, should we watch Sleeping Beauty or Brave?" he asked her and she simply started to cry, but she was trying to hold it in.

"Mommy picks Brave," Santana said and she nudged Rachel's foot with her own and she shifted Marley around in her lap, so they were chest to chest, but this time, Marley didn't put her head on Santana's shoulder. She just sat there rigid, stone still, and was forcefully holding back her tears, because that was going to get her a spanking.

"Mama does too," Rachel said and Kurt nodded. He put on the movie and then moved to sit down. During the opening credits, Santana turned Marley back around and shifted herself slightly, so that Marley could put her feet up on the couch. Kurt picked them up and began to massage them, but it wasn't relaxing her and finally, there was so much tension in her body, that Marley's bladder and bowels released, without her even trying. She burst into hysterical sobs and Santana sighed.

"Cuddle party in the living room. You two go clean her up and I will get everything ready out here," Kurt said.

* * *

><p>"Shhh, it's okay Marley, calm down baby," Rachel told her. "Do we know what kicked this off? She's been fine all day," Rachel commented.<p>

"No clue," Santana said kindly. "Lift her legs for me, so I can get a new diaper on her," Santana said, because they both knew there was no way Marley was doing anything on her own. She was both a rag doll and extremely rigid all at the same time. It also seemed that she was afraid of her family and Santana was very concerned about that fact.

"Come on sweetie, let Mama help," Rachel said struggling slightly to lift Marley's legs up and back. "You're okay baby girl, you're okay. Mama's here and Mommy's here. We're just going to help you change and then we're all having a cuddle party in the living room. Papa is getting it all set up," she said, but Marley simply cried. She didn't even seem to register that anyone was talking to her.

"She's off in her head, and I don't think we're going to get her back any time soon," Santana said.

"I don't buy that at all," Rachel said and once Marley was taped into a new diaper, she helped Marley up and into Santana's lap. "Hold her tight," she said kindly and Rachel rubbed her back before she began to sing softly in Marley's ear. "Do you ever feel, like a paper bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?" she sang softly and eventually Santana joined in. They kept it soft and slow, until finally Marley's wall broke and she cried hard, holding on tight to Santana.

"No sen' me way Mommy," she begged, her words holding nothing but heartbreak inside them. There was no other emotion. Rachel had thought there might be a desire to stay expressed as well, but she didn't hear desire, all she heard was fear.

"That's never going to happen baby. Mommy Santana, Mama Rae and Papa Kurt, love you far too much, to ever voluntarily send you away. If you go on your own, that is something very different," she explained and Marley snuggled in closer to Santana, her head going straight to her shoulder and Santana kept her close and waited a few moments. "Cuddle party in the living room my little love. Everyone. You, me, Mama, and Papa," Santana said. "Mama is going to help you to stand and then we will lead you to the living room, helping you to walk carefully," Santana told her.

They made it out and Kurt set up all the blankets as well as the movie Despicable Me. Marley seemed to like that movie and stay calm with it. She was nearly asleep when the phone rang and Rachel quickly grabbed it. Marley had jumped in her sleep, but didn't wake up and snuggled back into Santana. "Hello?" Rachel asked.

"Hey, it's me, is Marley ready to talk to Noah?" Quinn asked.

"Marley had a melt down and is nearly asleep. So, no," Rachel said with a slight smile. "How's Noah?"

"Well he's nearly asleep too. I was going to wake him up, but if she's falling asleep, I'm not going to do that now," Quinn said.

"No, of course. Let him sleep. Do you want someone on the phone with you, while you come back here?" Rachel asked.

"Sure, I'll walk and you can tell me all about the latest meltdown or tantrum, or whatever it was she had," Quinn said.

"Hold on," Rachel said and she carefully stood up and went into the kitchen to talk to Quinn while she walked back to the house. She heard Quinn check out with the security guard and then she heard the guard explain how the night would go to Quinn. He'd explained that Nurse Helen wasn't on duty tonight, but would be back in the morning and he was going to be there all night. Quinn thanked him and headed off.

"Okay, ready when you are," Quinn smiled into the phone.

* * *

><p>Quinn walked into the apartment and found Rachel pacing slowly. "Oh, you're here, good," Rachel smiled and she hung up her phone.<p>

"Why is it so tense in here?" Quinn asked.

"Really? I'm actually feeling pretty calm down," Rachel said and then she shrugged. "What you feel is probably Marley or Santana," Rachel explained.

"Was it really that bad?" Quinn asked.

"We are this close to potty training. She's getting so much better. She feels it better now. She tells us when she has to go and we sit with her for as long as it takes and she goes. Usually within a few minutes. Tonight, she had an accident. We didn't yell at her for it or anything, but Kurt is convinced, she is stressing about something big and that's what made her mess herself. She also begged Santana not to send her away and all I heard in her voice was pure fear," Rachel explained.

"Well for the little bit that I've witnessed, you should all be really proud of yourselves. That's a lot of accomplishment in two months," Quinn said. "I look at Noah and I wonder what Miss Beth was thinking, but now that he sort of trusts me, at least a little bit, and I have you three to turn to with questions, I think it might be okay," Quinn continued.

"Cheater! I had no one," Santana teased coming over from her spot on the couch. Rachel rolled her eyes and got everyone a glass of iced tea.

"You had Kurt and Rachel!" Quinn said.

"I did, and I still do, and I got very lucky that they took to Marley and she took to them, but over all, none of us had a clue as to what the hell we were doing," Santana said calmly.

"As much as I hate to agree with her, and I do hate it a lot, it's really true. We didn't know what we were doing and we just take every day, one at a time," Rachel said and Santana let out a little laugh.

"Sometimes, one minute at a time," Santana said.

"You've still managed to take wonderful care of Marley and surely even a stubborn, Lima Heights, sassy ex cheerleader can see that," Quinn said making a face at her friend.

"If I had done a better job, she wouldn't be having these melt downs, begging me to let her stay, swearing to be a good girl, and sounding more fearful than I've ever heard her sound before," Santana said seriously.

"Okay, think about it this way. You taught her communication and I know this for sure, because I saw her try to teach Noah. You've done a very good job Santana," Quinn told her.

"And that's coming from Quinn, so I don't want to hear, I don't know what I'm talking about!" Rachel said with a very satisfied smile on her face.

Santana snapped her jaw at Rachel and Rachel snapped back, before they were interrupted by whimpering from the couch. "I'm not sure I can go another round," Santana sighed, dropping her head on the table.

"I'll get her," Rachel said kindly and she walked over to the couch, to find Marley awake and looking around.

"Mama," she whimpered.

"Hey baby girl," she smiled kneeling in front of her and petting her face. "Did you have a good rest?" Rachel asked and Marley nodded but started looking around the room. "Papa is still sleeping, but Quinn is back and all the girls are having iced tea at the table, would you like to join us?" Rachel offered.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"She's at the table, I'll take you to her," Rachel offered and she held out her arms to Marley, who sort of fell into them. "My best girl, come on," Rachel cooed as she pulled Marley to her and then stood the two of them up and helped Marley into the kitchen.

"There's my sweet Marley," Santana said with a happy smile.

"Mommy," Marley cried and she fell into Santana's lap, bursting into tears, and holding on tightly.

Santana took a deep breath and gathered her little girl close. "Shhh, you're okay good girl. Mommy has you, you're safe," Santana told her. It took some doing but eventually Marley calmed down and curled herself around Santana's body, putting her head on Santana's shoulder. Her back was to Quinn, and she could see Rachel, but above all, she heard Santana's heart beat and right now, that was the thing that was keeping her sane.

Rachel poured more iced tea for everyone and everyone fell quiet. "So tell us, how was Noah when you left?" Rachel asked.

"Very tired," Quinn said. "He did have a message for Marley though," Quinn said and Marley wiggled a bit, but she wasn't leaving Santana's embrace if she could help it.

"Do you want to turn and look at Quinn?" Santana asked.

"No Auntie?" Marley asked softly.

"She can be Auntie Quinn if you want her to be, but you have to make that decision sweetheart. When you met Quinn, the very first moment, you were our little girl, and it was appropriate at the time. It's also because Quinn went to school with all of us, we know for a fact she is safe, so that is why I said Auntie Quinn."

"She also did it as practice Marley. I work the same place as Mommy does and I'm training with Nanny Susan. Nanny Quinn, just didn't sound right to me though, so all the little ones who come to the club with call me Auntie Quinn," Quinn explained.

"Wha' Noah say?" she asked softly.

"Manners," Santana scolded gently, "turn to look at Auntie Quinn please," Santana told her and she sighed, but shifted and moved around, softly repeating her question. "Good girl," Santana praised kissing the top of her head.

Quinn smiled. "Noah said that when I saw you, he wanted me to tell you that he wished you sweet dreams," Quinn said and Marley shook her head no. Quinn was absolutely lying. Noah couldn't say those words, not with his mouth the way it was. Even after the one day, Marley knew that.

"Liar!" she cried and fresh tears came to her eyes. "Mommy! Liar. Lie. Can't. No. Pain," she said tears flowing from her eyes. Santana was not thrilled with the outburst, but at least she hadn't run away and for that Santana was extremely grateful.

"Okay, stop," Santana said working to keep her cool. "Calm down, we're going to breathe and we're going to talk and you will apologize to Auntie Quinn. No exceptions," she told her. "First though, we breathe," she said and Marley worked hard to calm her breathing. It took five minutes before Marley got her breath under control and looked at Santana with fear in her eyes. "Don't be scared Marley. I'm not happy that you yelled at Quinn, but you are going to apologize and explain why," Santana told her, reading her mind and Marley leaned in and hugged her tightly.

It took a few more minutes, but finally, Santana turned Marley around and while crying pushed out her words carefully. "Eee cah ay dat. Owies," she whimpered.

Quinn took a deep breath and carefully moved forward. "Shhh, she said kindly and she moved to kneel in front of Marley. "I know you're trying sweetheart and I'm so proud of you. I like that you're sticking up for Noah. I don't like that you think I lied, but we're going to try and fix that. Let's try again honey, nice and slow, can you say it again? Why do you think I lied?" Quinn asked gently, looking up at Marley. Quinn believed in giving frightened little ones a height advantage because in one of her psychology classes, they'd done several exercises and while it was something so minor, it could have a huge impact. Quinn had been paired with one classmate and it was a simple task. They were to ask one question. "How was your day?" They were to ask it three times. The first time, the askee was to be lying on the floor with the asker standing over them. The second time was for both parties to be seated in a chair. The third was for the askee to be seated in the chair and the asker to be sitting on the floor looking up at them. In a class of one hundred students, fifty couples found option three the most comfortable and twenty five of them found option two comfortable. No one liked option one. They'd been too intimidated and right now, Quinn had to give Marley a perceived upper hand. The poor girl was too tense.

"Eee, cah, ay dat. Owies," Marley said again, only slower this time. Her words were true, but also garbled with tears, so it made it a little more difficult.

"Alright Marley, alright, I'll try okay. I know you're frustrated, but I'm going to try. Are you talking about Noah?" Quinn asked and Marley nodded. "He's in pain you say?" she asked and Marley nodded again. "I just don't understand the middle bit. I know you think I'm lying and that's okay, but I can't work out why, can you try again?" Quinn asked. "Maybe you can use different words for me," Quinn tried.

"No, S, no dra. Owies," Marley cried.

"Oh I see," Quinn said putting it all together. "Noah couldn't say sweet dreams to you because his mouth hurts?" she asked and Marley nodded but went back to crying. "Shhh, shhh, okay, that's actually very smart lady bug. You paid very close attention today, and I'm very proud of you for doing so," Quinn told her. "I know you think I lied, and I know you think that because you paid close attention today, but he did say that. Now it didn't sound the same as when I say it, but he did wish them to you," Quinn said and Santana could feel Marley fighting sleep. Her body was getting heavier and heavier with each passing second.

"Now, will you please tell Auntie Quinn you are sorry for yelling at her," Santana said.

"I sorry," she cried and she snuggled closer into Santana who gave her a kiss.

"I'm very proud of you sweetheart, why don't we go into the living room and all cuddle and watch your movie again. Maybe with some real rest you'll feel better in the morning," Santana suggested.


	37. Chapter 37

**Happy Tuesday everyone!**

**Bonus update! I think I cleared up some of my writer's block, so you get a bonus chapter today. **

**Warnings: ****Marley has a MAJOR breakthrough and it scares the crap out of her. Nothing bad happens. She does hear Terri's voice in her head, but that's it, as far as cruelty. There is a budding POSSIBLE romance in this story now. You'll find it when you get there. I'm not sure why it happened, but as I was writing it sort of showed up. I know that there are at least three of you, who will stop reading now because of this. I simply ask you to give the story a chance. I say POSSIBLE and not possible, because I really don't know if it's actually GOING to happen, but I'm well aware that because I thought this was a good idea, at least three of you will stop reading the story.**

**I know some of you have expressed concern. You read Noah and think Puck. COMPLETELY understandable People have been asking for a description and while I don't mind giving it, I didn't have it. I FINALLY got a brief one come to me last night, and it has been worked into this chapter. It's not the best, but it's close and hopefully I'll get a few more details in my mind as time goes on.**

**As always, special thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008, for their inspirations and encouragement to even write this story and then post it. To everyone who has left me a review and/or a PM, know that those little things make me more than thrilled. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that you have a wonderful day and please please please leave a review.**

**Be well**

* * *

><p>Marley was the first up in the morning and she very carefully and quietly crawled over to the toy box. "Twenty six, twenty six," she told herself softly and she began reaching into the box to pull out her letter blocks. She needed to help Noah. She sat on the floor and had pulled out ten blocks by now, when she let out a soft gasp. She waited a minute and tried to think about what she needed.<p>

Her stomach didn't rumble but there was a definite pressure there and she realized that she probably had to go to the bathroom. She tried to think about what to do, but with the building pressure, she just took herself to the bathroom. As she struggled greatly to pull herself up to the toilet, the door was kicked shut and once she was seated, she was stuck. Her sweat pants and diaper were still firmly in place and she started to cry.

_"You'll never do anything right!" Terri screamed. "Not now, not ever. You don't know anything, you're just a stupid little baby slut, who is only good for one thing!" Terri screamed and Marley was now lying on the changing table in the room she was confined to. Her back was killing her and she felt her stomach lurch as she peed herself slightly._

"Marley honey. Marley, please open the door," a voice called and it startled her out of her memory.

"He'p!" she cried out sadly.

"I'll help you sweetheart, but you have to open the door baby," Kurt said and Marley whimpered. She didn't want to move, because she had definitely messed herself.

"I duck!" she said slipping into her toddler state. She was afraid and the more scared she got, the younger her mind set. For Marley being young meant she would be safe and cared for and usually it worked for her, but when she was scared or concerned, her brain struggled with what to do. She had to be a big girl to get out of the situation she was in, but being a big girl meant she didn't feel safe.

"Marley baby, try to calm down. Papa will help you, but you have to be calm this is the only way it's going to work," he told her.

"Papa!" Marley cried and Kurt heard the panic and fear in her voice. If she didn't focus he was going to lose her completely. He was going to ignore her privacy and just walk in, but when he tried the knob nothing happened and he silently cursed their bathroom door. The lock on door was tricky and if it locked by accident, the only way to open it was by pushing the tiny silver button on the inside.

"Marley Rose, listen to Papa!" Kurt called using his hand to bang lightly on the door. He was hoping to startle her slightly in order to get her full attention. "Do you hear me baby? Are you ready to listen to Papa so you can come out of the bathroom?" Kurt called kindly and as his voice rose in volume, he woke the girls and Santana quietly made her way toward him, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Do you need me?" she whispered.

He nodded yes and Santana simply stepped back. She had to stay quiet, because she knew that if Marley heard her, she'd get all worked up again. She was close enough to help, but quiet enough to not be heard. "Marley honey, listen to Papa baby. I will help you get out of the bathroom, but we need to communicate. We need to talk to each other, are you ready to do that?" he asked her kindly and she nodded at him. "I have to hear you sweetheart," he said kindly. "Are you ready to try? Can you tell Papa yes or no?" he asked her. He was willing to wait and he was hoping she understood that.

"Y.y. ," she stuttered and he sighed.

"Keep going," Santana motioned quietly and then she went to get Marley's pacifier, Panda, Teddy Bear, and her favorite sippy cup with some ice water in it. This was going to be a challenge. She returned moments later and Kurt was pressed against the door.

"Just breathe baby girl. Keep breathing and tell Papa when you are calm. We have to communicate carefully so we can get you out sooner and cuddle up together on the couch," he told her.

"P.p.p.p. . he'p," she said.

"Yes baby girl, Papa is going to help you as soon as you tell me you are ready. We have some instructions to follow to get you out," he tried.

"N.n. ," she cried.

"Marley you have to listen baby. I know you are very scared and that's okay, but I need you to just breathe and listen to Papa. As soon as you are calm we will work on getting you out. Tell me baby girl, do you see the door knob?" he asked her.

The bathroom was pretty small. It was usually a tight fit when Marley was changed in there, but it was wonderful when Marley was freaking out. With the room so small, and Marley's 'parents' wrapping her tightly in hugs and cuddling her, made her feel even smaller in the already tiny space. Kurt needed to know where she was in the bathroom, what position her body was in, and then he could get her out. Until she told him all of that, they were stuck. Hearing her baby's cries though, Santana went Rachel's room and woke her up. "We need to get the tools, where are they?" she asked.

"What tools?"

"Marley locked herself in the bathroom and she's freaking out," Santana said.

"Never a dull moment," Rachel groaned and she carefully rolled over and started looking for the tool kit Burt had left with them not that long ago.

"Marley baby, listen to Papa sweetheart. Where are you?" he asked her.

"Duck Papa, duck here!" she yelled, thinking he didn't understand where she was and as she spoke, she furiously wiped away her tears. Her chest was starting to hurt her, as she couldn't quite figure out how to get her breath under control.

"Keep breathing baby girl. Papa is right here and I'm going to give you every direction I can to have you out quickly," Kurt told her. "Are you sitting on the potty or are you on the floor?" he asked her kindly.

"P. ...potty," she called back to him.

"That's alright sweetheart, can you see the doorknob from there?" he asked.

"No," she cried.

"Shhh, you're okay Marley, let's keep breathing. In and out sweetheart, nice and calm, because you are very upset, which is okay, but because of that you're not focused. Try baby girl. Try for Papa, breathe in and out," he told her and turned around and picked up Panda, holding it tight in his arms. He swayed gently back and forth and rubbed the toy's fur gently. In his mind it was Marley and he was falling into a full Papa mode, in order to calm her on the other side of the door. The girls were still looking for the right screw driver at this point.

After a moment, she finally spoke. "Pa...Pa..." she panted. "I see," she pushed out in one breath and her lungs were starting to burn now. She was trying; she had to. Big girl Marley was fighting to take over, because baby girl Marley was terrified that she was going to be stuck in the bathroom forever. The problem was if Kurt couldn't get her to act calm and fast, she was going to pass out from hyperventilating.

"Good baby girl, very good. I'm very proud of you. Now, tell me sweetheart, can you reach the door?" he asked.

"Duck papa," she called out and she started to cry.

"Shhh, it's alright baby. It's okay. I know you're stuck. We're almost ready to get you out. Just tell me baby girl, can you reach the doorknob?" he asked her and she whimpered in response. "You're okay baby girl, just keep breathing, you're almost out of the bathroom," he told her.

"D.d.d.d, ah, ah, p.p.p.p...tee," she pushed out and he turned to Santana to see where she was and what was taking so long.

"I know baby, I know," he cooed gently, squeezing Panda tighter in his arms. "It's okay that you're stuck on the potty sweetheart. I just need you breathe with Papa, and then try to reach the knob. If you can, that's great, if you can't, we'll try something else," he told her kindly.

"Papa," she cried and now she was grasping at her own chest. It burned so badly and she didn't know how to make it stop.

"I know baby, I know, let's breathe baby, breathe with Papa," he told her and he coached her to breathe in and out and finally he heard her catch her breath properly. He sighed in relief and then spoke kindly. "Marley baby, I am so proud of you sweetheart, you are doing so well. Do you see the doorknob now?" he asked her.

"Eh," she pushed out, but he could tell it was getting down to the wire. If she didn't hit that stupid little button soon, she was going to pass out.

"Very good my darling. Now, can you reach it? Can you just reach your hand out and touch it?" he asked kindly. "There's a little button sweetheart. It's just a tiny little silver thing and as soon as you push it, I will be able to open the door," he explained.

He heard her moaning and reaching, trying to get to it, but she was too far away. "Papa he'p!" she cried and he hung his head.

"Okay Marley, okay, it's alright baby," he said and then he turned to see all the girls looking at him, with a mix of frustration and sadness on their faces.

"None of the tools will work. We have to get the door open first, all the bolts are on the inside," Rachel said and Kurt growled softly before turning back to the door.

"Marley baby, talk to Papa honey, do you hurt?" he asked her.

"Es, owies!" she said tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

"Okay baby, tell me where. What hurts?" he asked her.

"Here, an, here," she said to him, slipping into her little girl space, forgetting that he couldn't see her.

Santana covered her face and Quinn elbowed her gently. "New game for baby Marley," she said. "Review body parts," she said and Santana shot her a look that said back off. "Calm down," Quinn said. "She's fine, we just have to get her to realize that and right now, he's talking to her and from what I can see he's doing a very good job," Quinn said and at this Santana nodded her agreement, trying to relax.

"P.p. , ah, papa," she pushed out.

"I'm still right here baby, just keep breathing, I'm thinking about how to help you get out of there," he told her kindly and she nodded, falling quiet, breathing as he said, and letting him think. He grabbed a chair, pulled it over to the door and then took Santana's hand. He guided Santana into the chair and she looked at him curiously for a moment. "Marley baby, are you sitting on the potty?" he asked her and she called out a soft yes. He looked at Santana and knelt in front of her. "You're her. I'm thinking muscularly. She's got to stand up and shuffle toward the door to open it. I need you to do whatever it is she says she's doing," he said softly and Santana nodded. She liked this agreement.

Santana had been at most of the therapy sessions, she knew what to do when Marley complained of pain. Rachel and Kurt knew as well, but Santana knew why Marley would have pain in the first place, where as Kurt and Rachel struggled a lot more with that. Fixing it was one thing, avoiding it being caused all together, was something else.

"Okay Marley, ready, here's what you need to do, you are going to have to put your hand on the wall and your other hand on the sink and push yourself up to standing," he said.

"NO NO NO!" she cried.

"Calm baby, please stay calm," he pleaded with her.

"N.n.n. an Papa, owies!" she said.

Santana nodded and looked at Kurt. She placed her hands on her stomach took a deep breath and folded forward, so she was bent over her lap. "Alright baby, alright, try this. Take your hands and put them on your belly for me," he said and then waited a beat before continuing. "Good girl, now take a deep breath in and then exhale. Now, the next time you breath in and you exhale bend forward for me," he told her and Santana shook her head no. She touched her lips, made a soft kissing noise and then pointed to her knees. His eyebrows shot up into his head, but he waved her off when Marley called out.

"Kiss papa?" she asked and Santana nodded wildly and pointed to her knees. He was getting through to her and that was all that mattered at the moment.

"Yes baby, kiss your knees. Just like Mr. Joe taught you."

She tried, but only moved a few inches and started to cry. "I..I..I..I..I..I..I ka, ka, ka, can't,' she cried.

"It's alright sweetheart. It's going to take a couple of tries," he told her. This was killing Santana. She wanted to jump in and talk to her baby, her little girl, her clearly scared child, but she wasn't about to ruin whatever it was that Marley was building with Kurt. If she stayed calm and trusted him, then this would all work out okay. She was a good Mommy, she knew what to do, she just had to communicate it to Kurt so he could communicate it to Marley. "Marley baby, tell me, how many times does Mr. Joe make you practice something?" he asked her.

"Hun'red," she whimpered and Santana rolled her eyes and held up one hand, all five fingers spread wide. Joe never made her work _that_ hard.

"Okay, well that seems excessive, why don't we just try five. You've done one, so we'll do four more, and then you should be able to kiss your knees. It took some time, and very slow counting, but he got her to do it and then he looked at Santana. He didn't know what came next.

While he'd been counting, Santana had motioned to Quinn and Rachel for pen and paper. She was going to write key words down for him to say as well as instructions if she needed to. She couldn't talk. She couldn't break the bond that he and Marley had going, because if she did, Marley would stop working for him and be stuck in that room for a lot longer than necessary. She was already in there for at least seven minutes by herself and that was six minutes too long for Santana's liking.

ROCK, is what she wrote down on the paper and Kurt shook his head no and looked at her with confusion, so she demonstrated. She pointed to her feet and placed them flat on the floor, then she bent forward to "kiss her knees" and he saw the rocking motion. Marley's body was essentially cold. She'd been sleeping. She'd probably crawled out of bed, but Marley liked to shuffle her crawl instead of picking up her limbs. She would slide them across the floor carefully, and that was not how she was going to get her body warm. The rocking motion was intended to warm her muscles slightly, get some blood flow to the area, and help her to stand.

"And how do I stop her from toppling over herself?" he asked softly and Santana put her hands straight out in front of her. Marley was going to have to brace her own body against the wall and Kurt sighed. Everyone sighed. Quinn had been with them for less than forty eight hours, and even she knew Marley was going to resist this idea, for fear of falling forward.

"Tell her," Santana growled quietly, so he took a breath and tried to explain.

"Okay baby girl, that's five," he said when he heard her call out the number. "Now can you put your feet flat on the floor for me?" he asked and she did so, calling out a soft yes. Her chest was still tight, but it wasn't burning as much any more. "Good job sweetheart, now rock forward, kiss your knees and try to touch the wall in front of you. Keep going until you can touch and then tell me," Kurt said.

"I faw," Marley yelled.

"No sweetheart, this is just practice, you're not standing up yet, I promise you," he told her and with a very heavy and fearful sigh, she started doing as asked. "Count for me sweetheart. Count as many times as you need to until you're kissing your knees and touching the wall at the same time," he said. It took her until attempt twenty five, before she had enough force and mobility to lean forward and touch the wall at the same time. Santana had never been more grateful for a tiny bathroom. While Marley was practicing, so was Santana. She was trying to figure out what muscles needed to be worked in order to get her to stand.

She sat and thought and then stood up and down several times. Sometimes her eyes were opened, sometime closed, but she was focusing on what she needed. "Core," Santana thought to herself. This was going to be completely core and thigh based. Her core had to be tight to keep her balance, her quadriceps in the front of her thighs and to contract in order to stand and her hamstrings had to relax in order for her quadriceps to contract. She was trying to figure out how to tell Kurt to do this, when she realized it wasn't a forward rocking motion, it was more of a forward and upward motion that Marley needed. She took a moment and practiced that while Marley was still calling out her own practices in the bathroom.

"I done Papa!" Marley called out and her stutter was now gone. Kurt was praying it would stay like that too.

"Very good Marley, I'm very very very proud of you," he gushed and he couldn't' see it, but she was smiling. She loved when her 'parents' were proud of something she'd done. "Okay baby, we're going to try standing now are you ready?" he asked.

"I faw," she whimpered.

"I know you're scared baby and I know you think you might, but your body is so strong now, that you are not going to fall. I promise you. Remember how Mr. Joe says you have to use your core? That's exactly what this is, and I promise you that when you do, it'll get you up to standing. You can absolutely do this baby girl, I promise you," Kurt told her.

"Papa," she whimpered. "I s'ar'd," she stammered and the pain in her chest started to come back with a vengence.

"I know baby, I know and if I was next to you I would hold you and reassure you, but there is a door in our way love and the only way I can get to you, is if you try. It's okay to be scared but still try, can you try for me Marley?" he asked.

"I tie Papa," she cried, tears slowly falling down her face.

"Good girl Marley, very good girl," he praised her. "Now, I want you to rock slowly like you've been doing, but think about your core. Think about your tummy and keeping it tight, can you do that?" he asked her.

"I rock?" she asked.

He looked at Santana and she nodded ferociously. "Yes my good girl. I want you to rock slowly and keep your core very tight," he said and she did as asked.

"Is tie," she called out to him sadly.

"Good girl baby, keep rocking slowly, let's make sure your muscles are warm," he said and then looked to Santana for the next step. She pointed to her feet and made sure they were spread apart a bit, so that her left foot was more forward than the right. Once that was set, she rocked slowly and then stood herself up, with her arms out to the side and Kurt pictured her holding on to the sink with one hand and the side wall with the other. "Okay baby girl, keep practicing baby, but put one hand on the sink and one hand on the wall. You're going to use them to push yourself up," he told her.

"S'ar'd Papa," Marley said.

"I know baby, but as soon as you get this, you'll be able to reach and open the door and then I will be able to hold you for as long as you want. I am so proud of you baby girl. you are doing so good," he praised her. She trembled and they all heard her stutter come back.

"N.n.n. f. ..faw," she said but she rocked as Kurt told her.

"As soon as you think you're ready baby girl, you just push yourself straight up to your feet. Keep your left foot slightly in front of your right, keep your core muscles tight and just rock and then push. You can do this baby girl, I'm not worried at all," he said. The truth was, he was terrified, but he put on a brave front. All the adults were terrified. Even Quinn had a deep concern for Marley. She'd seen the gamut of ages that Marley could be, and she was convinced that Marley was positively freaking out in the bathroom, but trying to be brave. Only the heavens knew what age Marley would be when that door finally opened.

Marley rocked and rocked and finally she started to notice that her heels were leaving the floor and her bottom was leaving the toilet seat. "P.p.p. ...pa," she stammered, stopping her rocking motion for a minute.

"What's happening baby girl? What can I do?" he asked.

"I.I..I.I.I.I ugh!" she growled in frustration.

"It's alright baby, take your time," Kurt encouraged her.

" .pah. shhh," she managed to stammer and Kurt thought about it and looked at Santana who was already holding up a piece of paper that said push on it.

"Put your right hand on the sink top baby and your left hand on the wall. Use those things to help push you up," he told her and Santana nodded her agreement.

"I tie," she pushed out as evenly as she could and she continued to rock and push, until she finally stood up. The problem was, she got so excited that she lost her tight core and fell back down to sitting and started to cry. Terri was right there, yelling and screaming, telling her how bad she was, how terrible she was, what a freak she was, and why no one would love her.

It took all of three seconds for Quinn to rush to the door and start yelling. "Marley Rose, this is Auntie Quinn. I need you to listen to me very carefully!" she said seriously and Rachel stood at the kitchen counter. She wanted to get involved, but everyone was going to be starving by the time they got Marley out of the bathroom, so she just fixed up some bacon, toast, and eggs for everyone, once this was all over. "What's her middle name?" Quinn asked.

"We don't know," Kurt said.

"Seriously?" Quinn asked in surprise and then turned back to the door. "Marley Rose, listen to Auntie Quinn. Tell me what happened baby girl, so we can help you out of the bathroom. Inside, Marley was screaming in fear and in pain and Santana wanted nothing more than to break the door down. She stood up to do so and Quinn stopped her. "NO!" she said. "She's this close. She is so close and I know you're freaking out and I know she's freaking out, but you can not stop her. She has to work through this and then she'll be okay, and as soon as we get her out of there, I will eat breakfast and go get you all a new lock, with no ridiculous button on it. Talk to her, but do not break down the door," Quinn said seriously.

"You are on very thin ice Fabray! That is _my kid_ in that room and I have to get her out!" Santana growled.

"Yes you do, but you don't have to go in and get her. You actually can't go in and get her, so talk to her. Bang on the door, call her name, find a way to get through to her, even when she's all freaking out like she is, because her wanting you, that will get her out here. I've been here two days. You are her Mommy. Be that. Right now! Don't rush in and take care of everything for her. Rush in and help her help herself! You can both do this!" Quinn lectured. "When she comes out, then you can do it all for her, if that's what you both want, but for now, make her try."

Santana growled protectively and then banged on the door. "Marley Rose, do you hear Mommy!" Santana said almost angrily. "Marley Rose, listen to Mommy right now!"

"MOMMY!" Marley wailed.

"Yes Marley. Mommy. Mommy is right here, right outside this door."

"H'ep Mommy!" she wailed.

"I'm trying baby, but you have to calm down. Calm down and breathe with Mommy and then we'll go through the steps to get you out of there."

"No, down, faw, no and," she cried.

"Calm down and breathe Marley Rose," Santana said sternly, although her facial features were betraying her voice. She already had tears in her eyes. She hated that she couldn't just rush in and get her little girl. "Listen to Mommy little one. Listen to Mommy's voice. Did you stand?" she asked.

"I did!" Marley called after a very long moment, where Santana, Kurt, and Rachel were beginning to think she passed out. "Terri way, Mommy he'p," she cried. "Go way! Mommy he'p!" she cried loudly and Quinn looked at Santana.

"She's in her head. Help pull her out," Quinn said and Santana looked at her with confusion. She thought she was doing that, so Quinn took Santana's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She'd never been so glad she took her psychiatry classes before this moment. "Terri, you back up from Marley right now! Marley Rose, listen to what Mommy said," Quinn yelled into the room and it was loud enough for Marley to hear her.

"Marley, you stood up. You did it baby girl, you just got surprised and fell back down. You were so proud of yourself, you forgot to hold your core," Santana told her.

"Mommy! Terri, here, he'p," she said with sheer panic, her lungs burning furiously as she gasped for breath.

"No baby, she's not there. You're in your bathroom, in your house, your safe and Mommy, and Papa, and Mama, and Auntie Quinn are doing everything we can think of, to help get you out. Your house Marley. Terri is in jail. Terri was bad, very very bad, and she went away," Santana told her.

"Mommy," she cried pitifully.

"I know baby, I know. You just have to stand, Like you did before for Papa and then reach over and push that damn button and then the door will open. I know your scared Marley, but you can do it, and as soon as you do, we can all sit down for breakfast and Auntie Quinn will go get us a new bathroom doorknob, just like she promised," Santana said and Quinn shot her a look of disapproval. "Then don't offer what you don't mean!" Santana hissed at her. "Come on baby girl, just try again for Mommy. You can do this baby, I know you can," she told her and Marley cried.

She wanted to. Mommy was on the other side of that door and that was way better than Terri being in front of her.

_"You worthless piece of shit, you can't do it, you never could. No one will ever want a baby slut like you. No one!" Terri growled._

"Mommy!" Marley cried in fear.

"I'm right here baby. I'm here and you are safe, in your bathroom, in your house. As soon as you stand up, like you did for Papa, and hit that little button Mommy will be able to come in and help and hold her baby girl."

"You are completely safe Marley. Mommy and Auntie Quinn are right outside this door, waiting for you to stand up, like we know you can, and press the little button," Quinn told her.

"Mommy!" Marley cried again.

"Come on baby girl, rock a bit, push yourself up, and then just reach over and hit the tiny little silver button on the handle and then you'll be out of the bathroom," Santana said and they heard a lot of grunting, groaning and crying. What was only seconds, but seemed like hours later, there was a soft click, and Santana was able to open the door.

"MOMMY!" Marley wailed and she flung herself and Santana, her body giving out on her and Santana gathered her close.

"I'm right here baby," she cooed softly.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Marley had been fed her breakfast, and was now cuddled up tight, in Rachel's arms, her body going into light spasms, as she put tension in her body. She'd been horrible. She'd done everything wrong, and now both Mommy and Auntie Quinn were leaving. She wanted to go with them, but she was too weak from her struggles earlier. She was too tired. Her body didn't have the energy to do anything other than lay there, and so she laid against Rachel's body, in pain, listening to her heartbeat and crying heavily.<p>

"I good Mommy," Marley cried once Santana approached them.

"Shhh, yes, you are sweetheart. You are a very good girl," Santana said and she carefully helped Marley to her feet. She got a good grip on her and Marley's head went straight to her shoulder. "Oooh, Mommy wishes you were smaller," Santana cooed softly.

Quinn stepped in behind Marley and helped support her. "Why don't you sit, we still have to wait for Kurt and Rachel," she suggested.

"She likes to climb on top of me, I'm afraid I won't get back up," Santana said and Marley let out a soft shriek, her back locking out for a moment.

"I good," Marley cried, struggling to keep her eyes open and her grip on Santana was getting tighter and tighter.

"Sit," Quinn told her.

Santana rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch. Quinn helped Marley to straddle Santana's lap and then she knelt down. She pushed Santana's legs apart a bit, to give her a wider base and Marley's bottom fell slightly through the space. "Shhh, Mommy's here baby girl, Mommy has you," she told her and she rocked slowly side to side.

"Has she been in the rocking chair at work?" Quinn asked.

"Several times, she loves that thing," Santana smiled and Marley wiggled for a moment, turned her head inward, rubbed her cheek on Santana's shoulder, and let out a soft whimper. "What baby?" she asked her gently and Marley simply blinked once. "Yes?" Santana asked. "Yes you like the rocker at Mommy's work?" she asked and Marley blinked again, but only once. "I know, the rocker is fun huh? Say, we go to work, and Mommy goes to do her job, and Marley stays with Nanny Susan and they read stories in the rocking chair," Santana said gently, essentially speaking for her.

"I can't wait to read to Marley in the rocking chair one day," Quinn smiled and little tears leaked out of Marley's eyes. This was it. They were going to get rid of her. Leave her to fend for herself. It seemed that her Mama and Papa were leaving as well and her heart broke. She needed someone, she couldn't be on her own. She broke down into tears and held tight to Santana, her knuckles turning ghost white.

Santana sighed and gathered Marley as close as she could. "You three go, tell Noah what happened. Leave my phone here, since you'll be with Rachel and Kurt, and then if he wants to call and talk, he can. I can't take her with us, and I can't leave her here," Santana said and Quinn noticed Marley was trembling violently.

"Are you sure, you're going to be okay?" Quinn asked kindly.

"Yeah," Santana said and Quinn nodded, stood back and just watched for a moment, as Santana worked to calm Marley down. It was oddly a huge turn on to see this once rough and tough cheer leader, with a bad ass attitude, become this calm, sweet, loving, very delicate woman, taking care of her child.

"Do you remember when we were at Mr. Shu's wedding?" Quinn asked after a few moments.

"I do," Santana said and then she looked up and smiled. She remembered very well and absolutely none of it was something she was ever going to, or wanted to, forget.

"Yeah, well, don't let this go to your head, but watching you with her, makes me want to do that all over again," she smiled and she leaned in and kissed Santana's cheek. "Definitely more than two times," she added with a grin.

"Dirty girl," Santana grinned and Quinn moved to sit next to Santana, rubbing Marley's back as she rested against Santana.

"Tee in," Marley said sadly and tiredly.

"Shhh, it's alright baby. Mommy has you and Auntie Quinn is rubbing your back. You're okay my sweetheart," Santana told her gently.

"You are a very good girl Marley. Auntie Quinn loves you very much, even though it's only been two days. You are too special and too sweet to have been tortured the way you were," Quinn told her.

"Tee-in," Marley slurred.

"Yes my love?" she asked her.

"Eye-ah, ffff," Marley said and Santana kiss the top of Marley's head and then pointed to the pacifier on the table. She also made a mental note that the word didn't quite come out correctly. Quinn picked it up and went to put it in Marley's mouth, but Santana stopped her.

"She gets to decide, not us," Santana said and Quinn gently put it in Marley's hand. Marley wrapped her fingers tightly around it, and closed her eyes. It took until Rachel and Kurt were ready to leave, for Marley to fall asleep.

"Okay, I'm ready," Rachel said and Kurt came out of his room, announcing he was ready as well.

"The three of you are going. She is far too worked up and far too tired to go. When she wakes up later and if she's up for it, then we'll come join you, but she needs to sleep," Santana said.

"Are you sure, you don't want one of us to stay with you as well?" Kurt offered. He'd seen how upset Marley was, and he knew they were lucky Marley was even speaking. So far, she'd said everyone's name, and that was it. Most recently, she asked for her pacifier, but nothing more than that. She was completely terrified. They tried to assure her and tell her how proud they were, that she was able to stand up on her own and unlock the door, but she didn't acknowledge anything they said.

"We'll be okay. She's probably going to sleep the entire time, but I can't ask her to stay awake any longer. She needs to sleep."

"See you later Mommy," Quinn smiled and she gave Santana a kiss to her temple and moved to the door. Rachel and Kurt followed suit and pretty soon, it was just Marley and Santana.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered.

"I'm right here baby girl. You are in Mommy's arms, very safe, and you can sleep now. When you wake up, we can decide what to do next okay," Santana told her. "Rest for now my love, Mommy is here and she's going to be here for a very long time."

* * *

><p>When Quinn, Kurt, and Rachel got to the hospital, there was a lot of commotion going on. Moving carefully through the chaos, they went to Noah's room and found things even more chaotic in there.<p>

"Whoa! STOP!" Quinn said, in her best Mistress voice.

"Do you think, we have that? You know, like somewhere in our bones or way down deep in our toes or something? I mean it has to come from somewhere right?" Kurt asked Rachel softly and she simply giggled at him.

"Maybe it's a cheerio thing," she offered.

"Why are you all in here. Noah, it's Quinn!" she yelled to him. "All of you need to get out now and read the damn chart! He can't see! You can't come in here and just start poking and prodding with no explanation of who you are! Where is your supervisor!" Quinn demanded. She managed to grab the attention of one male nurse and cornered him. "I want to speak to your supervisor, here, in person, now!" she said.

"Yes ma'am," the guy said and he ran out of the room. As soon as everyone was gone, she softened immediately.

"Noah buddy, this is Quinn. Rachel and Kurt are with me. I'm going to move closer to the bed," she told him and he raised his left hand as high as it would go.

"Wawa," he managed to push out and Quinn moved as fast as lightening. She couldn't imagine how painful and disgusting his mouth must feel, so she got him the water, and a kidney tray to rinse in. "Ache you," he said once he finished.

"So polite," Quinn praised.

"Noah, there were a lot of people in here, can you tell us what happened?" Rachel asked kindly.

"Where Mar-ree?" he asked not ready to answer Rachel's question yet.

"She had to stay home with Santana buddy. She had a very long night and she was very sad and did a lot of crying, which leaves her pretty exhausted. We do have our phones, so you can call her though, if you want to," Kurt explained.

"Mar-ree, talk Mar-ree," he said and he looked genuinely upset. Marley wasn't there. Santana wasn't there. This could be potentially dangerous as far as his safety was concerned. Quinn had returned, which was a good sign, but the fact that the other little one, this family had taken on, wasn't there, that concerned him.

"Okay, buddy, we can call her," Rachel said and she pulled out her phone to dial the apartment. "You can hold it, or you can just listen," Rachel said giving him an option and he didn't know what to do. She was used to options. They hadn't done the yes no game in a long time. Plus, he could speak. Maybe not all that well, but he could speak and Rachel was used to Marley. Get her to talk and keep it up. That had been Santana's goal.

"Phrase your options better," Kurt told her and she gave him a funny look. He rolled his eyes and spoke up. "Noah, let me know when you see me okay?" he asked and he carefully walked into his line of vision. Once he was in sight Noah raised his hand. "Good job," he praised him. "Now, Rachel has forgotten, because we're used to Marley, so we have to do things a little bit differently. When we give Marley options, she already knows what we're talking about, but she didn't learn it immediately, we had to teach her, so I'm going to teach you okay?" he asked and Noah raised his left hand. "Very good. Now, option one will be your left and and two will be your right hand. So tell me bud, do you want to hold the phone to your ear or do you want it on speaker?" Kurt asked him and Noah raised his right hand. He could barely hold things without help. He wasn't about to drop the phone and piss Rachel off.

Rachel nodded and pressed send, then speaker. The phone rang and Santana answered. "You just got there, how could anything possibly be wrong?" Santana asked in frustration.

"First of all, calm down. Secondly, why is she screaming?" Rachel asked. Noah immediately went on edge. He heard it too and Marley screaming was a scary sound.

"She drifted off, woke up, realized you'd all left, and now she's freaking out because, in her words, not mine, she ruined everyone's life."

"Tell our little drama queen that she needs to calm down, she did not ruin anyone's life and then call us back. Noah wants to talk to her, but I can hear her, she's not ready to talk to anyone," Rachel said.

"No, not at the moment, but be prepared. If I can get her to calm down, I'm going to bring her down there. She's been begging for you specifically for the last few minutes," Santana said. "She wants you to rub her tummy."

"Again? I thought we fixed that with her diet," Rachel said.

"We did, but now we are making her eat more steadily and she's apparently backed up. I have to call Miss Susan and get her an appointment, but for now, she wants Mama," Santana explained.

"Alright, call us back when she's calm, love you," Rachel said automatically.

"Weirdo," Santana smiled but even Noah heard the honesty and return of emotion in her voice.

They hung up and Rachel looked at Noah. She took in his features quickly. His cheeks were still blue and purple although the outside edges of the bruses were now green and yellow, which were signs of healing. He was definitely underweight, because his cheeks were sunken in and his hands were pure bone and skin. He was only five foot four maybe and in the bed, he looked even smaller. He was still growing though, so she expected that with proper nourishment and care, now that he could get it, he'd grow another few inches over time and tower over all of them. He had a patch over his left eye, that he'd had since they came in and the right one was simply healing, still swollen from the last beating he got before he came to the hospital. One look and she knew that this boy needed love and affection, just as much as Marley did. Whether he wanted to get it as a baby or an adult, she didn't care, she just wanted him to get what he deserved. "Santana doesn't like the L word," she said finally. "Can I move your hair a bit buddy? It's in your eyes," she told him and he raised his left hand. She brushed his light brown hair out of his eyes and ran her fingers gently through his hair, combing it into a neater appearence. "You are so handsome Noah," she praised him.

"No talk, no Mar-ree, no talk," he said seriously and while Quinn was okay with what he said, she was not okay with how he said it. He'd been rude and while he'd suffered torture, that was no longer the case, and she was not going to allow him to be rude.

"Ah, ah, ah," Quinn said kindly. "You don't have to tell us anything yet, but you can calm down a little bit. Rachel was only giving you a compliment. No one is going to do anything, you aren't told about, or ready for. Not while I'm here and you can bet that I will be talking to the supervisor about why there was a circus in here before I showed up. Things will get straightened out. In the mean time, you do not get to be rude to Rachel or Kurt, or anyone who is trying to help you, or you get a time out. The rules for Marley, as far as manners go, are the exact same for you," Quinn said.

"I think it's in their DNA. They got a gene somewhere that we just don't have," Rachel told Kurt when Quinn finished speaking and they both laughed. Quinn made a face, but they didn't pay much attention to her and Noah couldn't see it. So Rachel smiled and talked to Noah, "So buddy, what would you like to do before Santana and Marley call us back?"


	38. Chapter 38

**Hello everyone!**

**I hope you are doing all well and there is another chapter update this week, because basically I had a fairly good day. **

**Warnings: Marley and Noah both freak out a bit. Nothing too graphic actually. **

**As always, my thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. To all my readers and the people who left me reviews & PM's you have NO IDEA how good that make me feel. you would think after 38 chapters, I'd be confident in what I'm writing and yet still, not so much.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter - it's actually just really long filler, but these characters said it needed to happen, so here it is.**

**Be well my friends**

* * *

><p>"Mommy!" Marley wailed. She was an absolute mess today. Things hadn't gone well for her, since she woke up, and she was completely torn between being a little girl and a big girl, so Santana made the decision for her.<p>

"Alright baby girl, that's enough, come here," she said and she sat down on the couch and pulled Marley up off the floor and onto her lap. She held her tight and rocked slowly side to side. "Oh my goodness," she said gently and repeated it a few times until Marley was focused on her. "What on earth happened to my good baby girl? She's having a very bad day huh?" Santana cooed sweetly. "I am so sorry my baby girl," she told her and she kept using certain words and phrases that would trigger Marley to go to her little girl space. "My baby girl has had a very exhausting day so far huh?" she asked her gently.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered and she grabbed on to Santana's hand, curling her fingers tightly around one of Santana's and Santana smiled. At least she was gripping onto her and trying to focus and right now, Santana would take any amount of that she could get.

"Yes, Mommy has her baby girl, tight in her arms, where she's cuddled up close and oh so safe," Santana said and Marley nodded and then shifted herself. She put her right arm around Santana's neck, her head on Santana's shoulder and her left thumb in her mouth. "What are you doing silly girl?" Santana cooed softly. "What's that?" she asked pulling her thumb out of her mouth. "You're going to have prune fingers if you keep that up," she teased her and Marley gave a faint smile. "I can't have my beautiful baby girl having prune thumbs. That's silly. Her face is a baby face, and her hands are an old lady," Santana said and Marley actually giggled at that and then tried to put her thumb back in her mouth. "Stop that silly girl. Do you want old lady hands?" she teased her and Marley nodded that she did.

"Ess Mommy," she said pushing her thumb back into her mouth and Santana gave a playfully horrified look and covered her eyes.

"No," Santana said dramatically. "Not my baby girl. My baby girl can't have old lady thumbs," she said and Marley's eyes sparkled a little bit. It gave Santana peace. She was interacting and playing and going into her very safe little girl world, where Santana would take care of everything. "Okay, okay, you can have old lady thumbs, if you really want them," Santana said. "But then wait. How is Mommy going to get tight baby bear hugs?" she asked her and Marley looked at her for a moment. "No really. How are you going to be able to squeeze Mommy so tight for a hug? I love your baby bear hugs, they are the best hugs ever," she told her and Marley looked at her in thought.

"I know, what about a pacifier. What if you had one of your pacifiers? Do you think I could get big tight baby bear hugs then?" Santana asked and Marley nodded happily. "Okay, here you go," Santana said and she grabbed the pacifier from the side table and handed it to Marley. Marley opened her mouth, but Santana shook her head. "No my sweet baby girl. You get to decide. You always get to decide about your pacifier," Santana told her and then she gave her three gentle kisses to her temple. Marley put the pacifier in her mouth and then wrapped both of her arms around Santana, giving her best baby bear tight hug.

"Mommy," she said after a moment and she pushed back and looked at Santana.

"Go ahead baby, what's on your mind?" Santana encouraged.

"Noah hurt'd, I hurt'd, I not bedda, hims owies, ow we gets bedda? Too ha'd, too s'airy," she told her.

"Yes baby girl. You and Noah were both hurt, and he has pain, and I think you have pain too, but you're going to get better. It's just going to take a while. You know how Papa watches television and the Home and Garden channel? How long does it take to destroy a part of a house, do you know?" she asked.

"Is fass," Marley said.

"Yes it is. Unfortunately my sweet baby girl, destruction is a lot quicker than reconstruction, so we have to be patient and know that it will happen eventually," Santana said.

"Mama home? My tummy owie," she said.

"Mama went to this hospital today, to help Auntie Quinn with Noah. To give her support when she needs it. If you want, Mommy can take you to the hospital and we can go be with them," she said.

"How we ge' dere?" she asked.

"Oh we'd be taking a taxi. Mommy thinks that her baby girl is sometimes afraid of trains and subways, so I wouldn't do that to you. I will keep my baby girl safe and in my arms," she said.

Marley thought about this for a moment and then nodded. "Kays, ess go sees Noah, an gives 'im b'ocks. Owies, hewe," she said pointing to her mouth. "Tubba," she said kindly.

"Noah has trouble talking?" Santana asked and Marley nodded.

"Wike me. Tubba. Owie. B'ocks he'p," she explained and she carefully crawled off of Santana's lap and over to her toy box pulling out all of her blocks to take to the hospital for Noah. In order to stop a further melt down, Santana went with her and helped her pull out all the blocks. They lined them up in order, to be sure they had them all and then packed them away in a small bag, along with Marley's stuffed toys, before heading for the door. "Mommy," Marley said pausing at the door and looking at Santana as she sat down, waiting for Santana to put her shoes on.

"What baby?" she asked kneeling down and pulling out Marley's sneakers from the shoe box and carefully putting them on for her.

"I has?" she asked holding up her pacifier.

"Yes baby girl. That is yours and you can use it when ever you want. Mommy will not take it away, or let anyone else take it from you," she explained. Marley seemed to like this answer and the two girls went downstairs to catch a cab to go to the hospital.

* * *

><p>They made it to the hospital an hour later, but Santana had texted during the cab ride, that they were on their way.<p>

"Kin, Mar-ree, Mar-ree here," he said and he was actually whimpering. Santana hadn't called back, and the text could have come from anyone.

"She's coming Noah, I promise. Marley and Santana are on their way. They are most likely stuck in traffic," Quinn said kindly.

"No," he said and he started to cry.

Quinn decided that this was not good, so she moved in close and spoke kindly to him. "Noah, it's okay buddy. I know it's scary, and I can't imagine what you must be thinking, but you are very safe and very soon, they will be here and Quinn is going to go talk to the floor supervisor," she told him. "What we walked in on this morning, never should have happened," she told him.

"No, pee, Mommy," he said thinking that would make things better. If he played the game, that he wasn't sure he even wanted to play, then maybe, they would bring Marley back. He had to be with her. She was his ray of hope. He had to have her. "Mommy," he cried again and Quinn took a breath, kept herself calm, and moved in close.

"Shhh, shhh, you're okay baby, you're okay," she said kindly. "Noah honey, look at Quinn my love. Look at me and just calm down," she told him and she had to carefully move into his line of vision, so he could do as asked.

"No, Mommy! Mar-ree. I pway, I do. Mar-ree no dead!" he cried and that was about the time, Santana and Marley walked into the room.

"Mama!" Marley cried happily and she leaned forward a bit, wanting to get to Rachel as fast as possible.

"Hold on baby girl," Santana smiled and she lead Marley over to Rachel and Marley very carefully fell into Rachel's lap. "Baby girl needs a tummy rub," Santana said, looking pointedly at Rachel and she caught on quickly. Marley had been a basket case earlier, but she seemed very calm now, except she was a baby girl and Rachel had to play on that as best she could.

"Look Noah, look who's here," Quinn said kindly. "Santana and Marley showed up, so now everyone is here," Quinn said.

"No! No!" he cried. "Mar-ree here, no dead. No!" he cried and Santana looked to Quinn raising an eyebrow that asked several questions, all of which, Quinn had one answer to; I don't know.

Santana finally figured out that Noah wasn't paying attention and looked at Quinn. "He can't see her," she said. "He's not looking at her, and he's definitely not listening to us," Santana said.

"Noah baby, look at me. Look at Quinn," she said.

"No, I pway, Mommy! Pee no Mar-ree dead!" Noah cried and as he cried and yelled, one of the blisters in his mouth broke. He started to cough and choke and Santana and Quinn moved quickly to help him clean up. They struggled slightly to help him rinse with plain water, and he was just spitting it out when Dr. Martinez came into the room and both little ones went further on edge.

"We need some time, please come back in a few minutes," Kurt said firmly and he all but pushed the doctor out of the room and shut the door.

Rachel gathered Marley a little closer and continued her belly rub. "Let's listen baby. I bet Auntie Quinn and Mommy are going to need you to talk soon. So let's be really good listeners and when they tell you to talk to Noah, you can, okay?" Rachel asked and Marley nodded, relaxing slightly, glad that the door was now shut.

"Thank you," Santana said to Kurt and then she turned to Quinn. "He wants Mommy, you have to be that for now," Santana said.

"He wants it for the wrong reason," Quinn argued.

"But if you give it to him, he'll at least calm down a little bit and we need that right now, to explain what's going on to him," Santana said.

"Shhh, okay, okay buddy," Quinn said and she shifted herself to stand at the side of the bed as he struggled to get into her arms. Eventually she was able to gather him close and rub his back. This poor kid hadn't had much in the way of human contact lately and she felt her heart break just a little bit as she cuddled him. "Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay, but guess what?" she asked gently. "I'm not the only one. I'm still here for you, but Santana is here and Kurt, and Rachel and Marley," Quinn told him.

"Mommy," he whimpered holding on to her tightly, his arms falling slowly down Quinn's body, until they hit the bed, heavy from the energy that he expended while moving to be into her arms.

"Shhh, you're okay buddy, Mommy's here. You're safe, but do you remember Noah? Do you remember what Quinn said? I will be Mommy if you want, but I don't have to be. That's your decision," she cooed to him, gently running her fingers through his light brown locks and he let out a softer whimper. He was calming down, which was all they wanted in the moment. "Good job Noah, very good," Quinn praised him. "Shhh, keep breathing buddy. You're okay, and I can be Mommy, if you really want, but I want you to want it. I will not force you," Quinn said.

Santana was giving her curious looks as she spoke. There was something Quinn had picked up on that Santana missed, which was a good thing, but she wished she knew what it was. "Come on love, let's sit back in the bed and rest okay? The pressure on your knees is not safe yet," Quinn told him and carefully adjusted him, so he was lying back down. "Noah buddy, do you hear Santana?" she asked him trying to figure out if he was focusing on who was in the room with them.

"Ah, ah, auntie T.t. .Tana," he stammered.

"Only if you want Noah. You have to want it," Quinn told him kindly.

"Auntie Tana," he pushed out and then gasped for breath.

"Shhh, yes buddy, Auntie Tana, very good," Santana told him. "Can you see me love?" she asked. He was freaking out, which she wasn't happy about, but Marley was sitting relatively calmly in Rachel's lap, sprawled out slightly, having her belly rubbed, so at least that was a plus. One for two wasn't bad. "Can you see Auntie Tana?" she asked him, slowly shifting from side to side, and she glanced up to see his heart rate still pretty high. "You're okay bud. I know you can't see me, just raise your hand when you can. Do you know who's holding you?"

"K.k.k.k., I m.m. ..ean, M.m. ...Mommy," he stammered.

"Shhh, you're okay love, you're okay, you call me whatever you are most comfortable with. You can say Quinn, or Mommy, I don't mind either way," Quinn assured him, and he lost it. He broke down into tears, from all the stress in his body, and started crying out in pain. He was also letting go of all the tears he couldn't let go of before when he was scared and under Terri's control.

Quinn carefully, with Santana's help, gathered him close and he trembled against her, and she had to force herself to ignore the beeping. It seemed very loud to her. He was a seventeen year old kid, but she'd heard horror stories of young kids, young adults, even old adults with weakened hearts. Her greatest concern at the moment was that with all the hypothermia and dehydration he was recovering from, coupled with all the stress of a new situation, he was going to have a heart attack. Quinn wasn't sure why he was shaking so badly though. However, Marley seemed to understand exactly what was happening to him, because she started yelling at him. "No be't!' she cried. "NO BE'T" she yelled again.

"Marley Rose, no yelling baby girl," Rachel scolded.

"Him mem'ba Mama," Marley whined, not thrilled that Rachel stopped rubbing her belly for her. "NOAH!" she yelled again. "NO BE'T,"

"She's giving you a run for your money as far as projection goes," Kurt said to Rachel.

"Not helping!" all three ladies said at the same time and Kurt backed off a bit.

"Noah, listen to Quinn buddy, it's okay," Quinn said and she made her voice very soft and gentle, putting her lips right next to his ear, hoping it would get him to focus a little bit more.

"NO BE'T!" Marley screamed.

"Marley Rose, that is enough screaming. If you want to help Noah, you talk quietly to an adult, no more screaming or you're having time out in the corner," Santana scolded and Marley pouted.

"Tell me baby, talk to Mama. Talk. No yelling," Rachel said coaxing her to say something. She obviously wanted to help which Rachel was taking as a very good sign.

"Tummy," Marley pouted.

"I will rub your tummy, that's fine, but no more yelling and screaming. Talk to Mama, and help us understand. No screaming, because he isn't hearing you," Rachel said.

"Be't. Hims fade da be't," she said.

"Alright, well that is very helpful," Rachel said, even though she had no clue what a bet was.

"Here baby girl, why don't we spell it out," Kurt suggested bringing her the bag of blocks they'd carted in. "What is Noah afraid of?" he asked as he put them out on a cart and Marley looked around. She was babbling softly as she found the letters she wanted and then spelled out B..E..L..T for them and Rachel kissed her temple.

"Now that is very helpful and very good communication Marley. I am very proud of you," Rachel praised and she gave her baby girl kisses and went back to rubbing her tummy.

Quinn climbed up onto the bed, behind Noah and gathered him in her arms and rubbed his arms and hands. "Shhh, my baby boy is so good, and he listens so well, that Mommy Quinn is so proud of Noah," she said and then wrapped him in a tight hug.

"No be't," he cried and he jumped in Quinn's arms, because as far as he was concerned, the reason he was being held so tight was to stop him from moving. Terri had a lot of trouble hitting a moving target, and when she figured out that he figured it out, she would tie him down. Being restrained, while good for his nervous system, was nearly detrimental for his memory. His heart monitor started going wild and pretty soon, Nurse Helen walked in.

"I see, we have a lot going on," she said kindly.

"Nurse Helen, do you have anything that we can give Noah to help him calm down and relax, that will not make him think he's being tortured?" Santana asked.

"Actually I do," she said kindly. She walked over to Noah and spoke gently. "Alright Noah, this is just a little sleep aid okay? I'm going to put it in directly into your medicine bag and then you'll drift off, and stay asleep for the entire procedure that the doctors told you about earlier," she said.

"And why didn't the doctors tell me," Quinn almost growled and Helen looked at her with shock. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm not aggravated with you," she told Helen.

"You don't know that he's going for minor surgery?" Helen asked clearly confused as to why Quinn was being so protective.

"No," all four adults said and Rachel felt Marley tense up in her arms. "You're okay baby girl," she told her kindly. "No one is in trouble," she assured her. That tension, meant she was sure that trouble was coming.

Noah was still panicking and Quinn put her lips near his ear. "Shhh, stay calm my good boy. We're going to figure this out, all you have to do is rest," she assured him. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I'm also going to find out what's happening before it does. You are with Mommy Quinn and very safe," she promised him and as she spoke, he started to calm down. "What do you have in your syringe Nurse Helen? What is the procedure?" Quinn asked.

"He's been scheduled for an oral wash with Dr. Martinez. The infection is clearing up nicely and the wash will help, but because there will be so much extra pressure and suction involved, Dr. Martinez is going to give him anesthesia. He's going to sleep while we take care of everything and then when he wakes up, as long as he passes all his levels, he can go home with you," she said.

"Well I'm glad someone told me," Quinn sighed and Marley started to fuss and squirm. She didn't want Noah going away. How would he be watched by all the safe people and she really didn't want him to have medication to knock him out.

"What I want to know, is why you don't know what's going on? It's marked four times in his chart, in four different places to notify you of anything and everything that happens to him. Emma and I were very clear about that," Helen said.

"Oh, Nurse Emma is still here?" Santana smiled. "She was Marley's nurse."

"Focus please," Quinn said giving her a dirty look, which Santana returned and then they all turned their attention to Helen, who was flipping through the chart.

"Of course," she sighed. "Brian," she said rolling her eyes. "Honest to goodness, I'm going to put him over my knee and spank him myself, along with a few other interns running around this floor," Helen said. "Do we have your permission to start? I know Dr. Martinez was in a moment ago and then he was asked to leave, because it was so chaotic," she said.

"Yes, you can start," Quinn said.

"NO!" Marley yelled and she burst into tears, falling off of Rachel's lap and trying to get to Noah to stop what she considered madness.

"Marley Rose," Santana scolded.

"No!" she cried, tears coming quickly. "No take, no go, he good, no spank," she cried, sobbing heavily. "Mommy! Noah!" Marley wailed and her body was now wracked with heart breaking sobs and she was gasping for breath while her back went into spasm. She couldn't get any closer. She couldn't save him. She'd failed again. Noah didn't understand why Marley was so freaked out and as he watched her struggle while she was being escorted to her feet, his anxiety went up.

Nurse Helen stopped and tried to speak kindly. "Marley sweetheart, it's okay. We're going to help Noah get better, so he can go home with you," she tried, but Marley screamed at her, wanting her to go away. She wasn't listening to anyone today.

"Thank you for trying Nurse Helen, but she's not going to listen. You can go ahead with Quinn and Noah," Santana said kindly and then she looked at Rachel and Kurt. "I need one or both of you to help me please," Santana said, and they both moved in to help.

Marley was gasping for breath, struggling to breathe and tears were pouring down her cheeks, so they ushered her carefully into the bathroom where they could clean her up and Noah started to fuss in Quinn's arms.

"Shhh, she's okay baby. She is. She is just so scared, she needs Santana, Rachel, and Kurt to hold her and keep her calm, but they'll need to clean her up a bit too," Quinn explained. "Should Quinn explain what's going to happen to you now?" she asked him.

"Mommy, Mar-ree," he cried. They both heard her wailing in the other room and he was getting very concerned.

"Yes, buddy I know," she said and they both heard Marley scream. "Someone open the bathroom door!" she yelled into them. Noah couldn't see and with the door shut, neither could she, but if she could see it, she could explain it.

"No bad. No spank!" Marley wailed.

"Noah, listen to me bud. No one is going to spank you. Nurse Helen here is going to give you the medication and help you sleep and the doctor is going to take care of your mouth," Quinn explained.

"It's true Noah. As soon as you have this oral wash, all your blisters will be gone and as long as your levels are normal, we'll send you home with Quinn where you can heal in comfort, instead of this crazy hospital," she explained.

"Mar-ree," he whimpered hearing her cry and gag in the bathroom.

"She's okay Noah, I promise you. She just heard something she doesn't like and until we can get her to calm down and talk to us, we won't know what that is. I know for a fact that Santana, Kurt, and Rachel would never hurt Marley. I promise you, that as soon as you come back from your procedure and wake up, Marley will be here, perfectly safe and the two of you can spend more time together.

"Mommy," Noah whimpered.

"Only if you want me to be my sweet boy," Quinn told him, giving him kisses to his temple. "You let me know when you're ready and Nurse Helen will give you the medication you need. I will hold your hand until they take you to the treatment room, and when you come out, I will be holding your hand again, alright?" she asked. He raised his left hand and Quinn gave him another kiss. "I'm very proud of you Noah," Quinn said and she nodded at Helen. It was time.

* * *

><p>Marley had thrown up three times and was now a panting mess, pounding her fists into Santana's shoulder, trying to push her away, not liking that she sent Noah off to be spanked.<p>

"Marley Rose, you calm yourself down right now!" Santana scolded her and her voice was full on Mistress mode.

"NOAH!" she screamed and Rachel moved her head back a bit since the screaming was happening right in her ear.

"Kurt, we'll need tea, can you," Rachel started and he gave her a look and when it was returned by both girls, he decided to leave the room. They knew that he wasn't going to be able to handle this. Marley was completely hysterical and calming her down was going to take very firm and very stern voices.

"Marley Rose! Not a sound more," Santana told her seriously. "Not one more sound from you, until you can calm down and breathe," Santana said firmly. She could see that Marley's lungs were probably on fire and if she wasn't careful, she was going to pass out. "You can talk to me when you can breathe a little better," Santana said sternly. She wasn't backing down at all. She couldn't though. Marley had to focus and if scolding her was the way to do it, then Santana was fine with that. The last thing they needed was for Marley to pass out. Finally Marley let out a steady exhale, before speaking.

"Noah, good, no spank, good, no bad, Noah!" she said and she gasped for breath twice more before gagging and she was bent over the tiny sink where she threw up whatever was in her stomach, which wasn't much.

"Noah is very good, and no one is going to spank him Marley," Rachel said seriously. "Right now, we are focused on you. No more yelling, no more hitting, you will calm down," Rachel said and Santana smiled proudly.

"Breathe Marley, breathe right now, and listen closely to me," Santana told her. "Come on. In and out," she coaxed.

It took some doing, but she finally calmed down and collapsed into Santana, completely exhausted from having her latest tantrum. Santana held her close and rubbed her back. Marley was tense for a moment and then she finally put her head on Santana's shoulder. "Now, what did you hear? Why do you think someone is going to spank Noah?" Santana asked her once she was calm.

"N.n. ," she stammered and then she started to cry again out of a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

"It's okay. You know Mommy doesn't mind," Santana said and she went straight to deciding for Marley again. Marley had to be little. It was the easier choice right now. There was a very clear right and wrong when she was a little girl. She knew she would be taken care of, and Santana needed her to know and believe all of that, because these tantrums were getting to be a bit much. When she was little, things were cut and dry. When she was big, things were just unsafe and making decisions was too hard, it made focusing more difficult. Right now, Marley had to be little.

"B.b.b.b.b.b...bbb..'ck," Marley stammered. She couldn't speak and she knew it. She also knew she was exhausted.

"Alright baby girl, alright, come on," Santana said and she took her out of the bathroom and put her on the spare bed in the room and Marley immediately went on edge. "Shhh, calm down sweetheart, calm down, listen to Mommy. You need to rest. We're both going to sit on the bed with the tray. You can have your blocks and spell whatever you want for me, but you my darling girl are going to rest, with Mommy," Santana said and Rachel moved over to them.

"Hold Mama's hands sweetheart," Rachel said getting in front of her and holding her in a seated position while Santana climbed on the bed behind her. Once Santana was behind her, Rachel spoke kindly. "Alright baby, Mommy's behind you, lean back for me," she said kindly and Santana wrapped her little girl in a hug. Rachel moved over to a tray on wheels. It was the meal tray that Noah was using and was currently empty. It made a great table for Marley's blocks, so she could spell.

Rachel pushed it over and then got all of Marley's blocks. She put them on the tray, letter side up, for all of them, and then watched as Marley's hand trembled while she picked up the letters she wanted, spelling things out.

N..U..R..S..E

S..P..A..N..K

N..O..A..H

G..O..O..D

S..A..V..E

She spelled out for them and then she curled into Santana and simply cried. She was exhausted, her body was cramping, and she wanted Noah to come back. Santana carefully pushed the tray away and looked at Rachel. "Help me steady her."

"How do you want her?" Rachel asked. There were few positions that Santana could get Marley in and Marley would calm down almost instantly.

"I want her lying on top of me," she said and Rachel nodded. With a very minimal struggle, the girls got Marley in position and her ear went straight to Santana's chest. She took comfort in the steady rhythmic heartbeat and started to close her eyes. Rachel took a seat on the side of the bed and began to pet Marley's face. That in itself was a major achievement. Long, calm, soothing strokes, helped Marley to calm down and once Santana was sure she was calm, she started to explain.

"Alright baby girl, put your hand out. You can keep your eyes closed, but you and me and Mama are all going to have a conversation. Easy questions, just like always and you won't have to say a word," Santana explained and then she looked at Rachel. "Your left hand is yes, your right hand is no. Left option one, right option two," she said and Rachel nodded.

She reached forward a bit and took Marley's hand. She placed it on the bed and then used her pointer fingers to tap softly on Marley's hand. "It's a game baby girl. The one you like to play," she said. "Yes," Rachel said softly and tapped her left pointer finger on Marley. "No," she said tapping her right pointer finger and she repeated the process for options one and two. "I don't know what questions Mommy has for you baby girl, but if it's too much and you need to take a break you don't touch any of Mama okay?" she said. Marley blinked once. "Alright sweetheart, close your eyes, rest. Listen to Mommy's heartbeat," Rachel coached. Once she saw her breathing even out a little more, she spoke calmly. "You can keep your eyes closed, tap Mama's yes hand," she said and Marley did as asked. She liked that she didn't need her eyes open, because she was fairly sure she was getting a headache, but she opened them anyway. She had to communicate. She had to try.

"Mama?" Marley said tiredly after a moment.

"Yes baby?"

"Tummy," she said sadly.

"Does it hurt baby?" Rachel asked kindly and Marley tapped both Rachel's left and right finger, her eyes growing heavier by the second. "Does it hurt a little bit?" Rachel asked and Marley tapped the left one five times.

"As soon as we get home baby, Mommy will call Nanny Susan and we will get you fixed up okay?" Santana asked and Marley whimpered but tapped Rachel's left finger. She knew what Nanny Susan would do, but she also remembered that it didn't hurt when Nanny did it.

"Ho' me Mommy?" Marley asked sadly.

"I will always hold you baby girl," she told her and she waited for Marley to relax. "Can Mommy ask her questions now?" Marley tapped left. "You heard Nurse Helen say spanking?" Left. "Do you think she's going to spank Noah?" Left again and then she started to tremble.

"Shhh, it's okay baby girl. Mommy has you, Mama's right here, Papa went to get everyone tea and Auntie Quinn went up with Noah, to be with him for his whole procedure," Rachel explained.

"Marley baby, do you really think that Auntie Quinn would let bad things happen to Noah?" she asked. Right finger. Santana took a deep breath and very calmly and quietly asked her second question. "Alright baby girl, what are you afraid of then, will you tell me?" she asked.

Marley didn't open her eyes, didn't tap any fingers, she just took a deep breath and carefully pushed out her words, tears falling down her face. "No strangers are safe. So many bad things happen," she said. "You're nice to me, and I don't know why, and you don't judge me, and I don't know why, but other people do and they will hurt him, and I know you said it's not my fault, but it is. He's been hurt because of me, and it's so much worse than what happened to me. She used him as a toilet," Marley said.

Rachel and Santana were both surprised that it came out so adult, but Santana understood, as did Marley, that Marley had to make a point. She had to be adult for the moment and then she could go back to being a baby girl if she wanted.

"Marley my love, right now, right in this moment. Do you want to be baby girl Marley, or big girl Marley?" Santana asked and Marley tapped left several times. "Do you know that Mommy loves you no matter what age you are?" Left. "Should we take a nap?" Left. "Should Mama sing you a lullaby?" Left and Rachel grimaced. Of course Santana would put Rachel on the spot. Some things would never change.

* * *

><p>Two hours later they wheeled a still sleeping Noah into the room, in his bed, and Quinn took a seat next to him and held his hand. "You're hooked aren't you?" Kurt asked her kindly.<p>

"It's amazing how fast they get you. I've worked with clients at the club and they get me too, but this is different. This is something so much deeper," she told him. "I wish I could put it into better words."

"You don't have to, I completely understand," he smiled. "I know that I fell in love with Marley, the second I met her. Possibly because we know what it's like. We know the feeling of craving love and affection, so we can relate and show them that what they want, is actually attainable," Kurt said.

Quinn nodded and turned for a moment to look at Santana who was holding Marley. "I never thought I would see that," she said.

"Well I can top that. I came home one night to find Santana and Rachel curled up on the couch together."

"That I do not believe at all," Quinn laughed.

"Marley passed out and the two of them were freaked, rightfully so, and they supported each other. It was with pizza and wine, but they still did it. Now I think anything can happen," Kurt smiled.

"Not until I see it," Quinn grinned.

"He's still sleeping and she's in a very good state, go bond with her, it might calm things down for when he wakes up," Kurt suggested.

Quinn nodded and gave a quirky smile. "Do you want the diva, or the bitch?" she asked.

"You're very funny," he said sarcastically and then he reached over and took Noah's hand, so someone would be holding him as promised while Quinn walked over to the girls.

"Hey lady bug," she said when she realized that Marley was awake and now looking directly at her. "Did you have a good nap?" she asked kindly and Marley simply blinked once. "I'm going to take a seat right here, is that okay with you?" she asked and Marley blinked again. Quinn sat down and smiled at her. She was going to approach this very carefully, because she had no idea what mind set Marley was in, and she really didn't want to trigger anything. The poor girl had been through enough. "You know, I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with you lately, so I thought that while you're cuddled up tight with Mommy, and Noah is sleeping, Marley and Auntie Quinn could spend some time together," Quinn told her.

"That's actually a very good plan, because Mommy needs the bathroom. Will you sit with Auntie Quinn for a little while my love?" Santana asked kindly. Marley went willingly but only because she could still see Rachel. The tension in her body was ridiculous and Quinn picked up on it immediately. Santana settled her carefully on Quinn's lap and rubbed her back in that loving way she had. Only Santana had that touch. They all had different touches. Everyone who cuddled her and held her did it just a little bit differently, but that was how she knew who was holding her. She was still pretty exhausted so she put her head on Quinn's shoulder and shifted to a comfortable position. She gave a very slight smile because now Quinn was rubbing her back the say way Santana did. The difference was so small that Marley barely noticed and she felt the tension start to leave her body.

"Oh my lady bug," Quinn cooed as Marley got settled on her lap. "I'm so glad we get to cuddle," Quinn smiled. "Mommy told me what a great cuddler you are and she is absolutely right," Quinn grinned. "I'm so glad that Noah and I will get to spend more time with you and Mommy and Mama and Papa, because I think you will be a very good helper when it comes to Noah," Quinn said.

"I he'p?" Marley asked, looking at Rachel and fighting sleep. Apparently, she'd needed a longer nap than she had and so Rachel watched her carefully.

"Of course you can help. I bet you're a wonderful helper," Quinn said and Rachel saw Marley start to panic. Quinn was saying something that was triggering something else, so she decided to put a stop to it immediately.

"Marley baby, look at me honey," she said kindly and she put her hand on Marley's cheek. "Tell me baby, what's my name?" she asked.

"Mama," she smiled.

"That's right my smart girl. That's very good, and who's holding you?" she asked her.

"Auntie," she said softly.

"Very good. Do you know who else is in the room? Should we name them?" she asked. "Let's see. Two boys and one girl," Rachel said. "Who are the boys?" she asked gently.

"Papa an' Noah," Marley said.

"Very good baby, and who's the girl?"

"I dunno," Marley said.

"Yes you do silly girl," Rachel giggled. "I'll give you a hint. Who went potty?" she asked.

"Mommy," Marley smiled.

"Very good baby girl," Rachel smiled and she leaned in and gave Marley a gentle kiss.

"Mama? Owies," she pouted pressing her hand to her stomach.

"I know baby, as soon as we get home, Mommy said she is going to call Nanny Susan and we'll get you all fixed up, so you don't have any more pain," she said and they heard soft movements coming from the other bed. "I think Noah's waking up," Rachel said when she saw Marley try to focus in on where the noise was coming from.

"I gives 'im b'ocks Mama," Marley babbled tiredly.

"You brought blocks for Noah?" Quinn asked.

"Mmm, he'p 'im talk," she said and she wormed herself around on Quinn's lap, trying to get comfortable. "Mama," she whimpered after a minute. "Owie Mama. Potty," she said sadly.

"Alright sweetheart, as soon as Mommy comes out, we'll go potty. I'll rub your belly while you sit, okay?" she offered. It was seconds later when the door opened and Marley started to worm around. "There's Mommy, should we go potty now?' she asked her and Marley started to wiggle harder, trying to get up.

"I'll help you sweetheart," Quinn said kindly and she helped her up to her feet and Rachel moved behind her, so she could help guide her to the bathroom. Once they entered, Rachel shut the door and Marley let out a soft whimper. This was going to be just like the morning. She was going to be locked in the bathroom again. Rachel helped her to sit down and the second she was naked from the waist down on the toilet seat, she burst into tears.

"Oh my sweet girl," Rachel said gently and she did everything she could to try and calm Marley down and talk to her, but the poor girl was beside herself with fear. "Santana!" Rachel called through the door and Santana came in moments later.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Mommy," Marley wailed and the poor girl stood up and threw herself at Santana. The sudden movements caused leg spasm and Marley's knee jerked straight into Santana's crotch.

It surprised Santana and she did grunt, but quickly regained her composure. "Shhh, honey, you're okay, calm down sweetheart," Santana said through gritted teeth. "Come on, let's sit back down," she coaxed and sat Marley on the toilet. "Shhh, you're okay, you're okay," Santana told her kindly. "Take a breath, talk to me," Santana coached and Marley had tears pooling in her eyes. Everything was just so hard today for her and she didn't know why.

"Mommy," she cried.

"Alright baby girl, alright," she told her kindly and she pet her face and cooed softly to her and Rachel stood up to leave and give them private time, but Marley started freaking out begging Rachel to stay.

"I think baby girl needs to go home, have a good lunch, and take a nap," Rachel said kindly.

"I think I agree," Santana said and Marley continued to cry. "I also think Mommy needs an ice pack. Can you ask the front desk for one?" Rachel nodded and left, and Marley screamed. She was disappointing everyone. She couldn't do anything right. Her stomach was killing her, she couldn't go to the bathroom, she still couldn't walk, and now she was annoying her mothers. As far as Marley was concerned, life sucked. "Okay, baby girl, look at Mommy," Santana coached. "Breathe for Mommy honey, just breathe, nice and slow. We're going to do this little by little," she said and Marley gasped for breath. "Shhh, just breathe, one step at a time baby, just one," she told her. It took a few minutes, but she finally calmed down. "Marley baby? What do you feel right now sweetheart?" she asked her.

"Owie," she said clutching her left hand to her chest and her right hand to a portion of her stomach. Then her left hand moved up to her head and she went back to crying softly.

"Alright baby girl, Mommy's going to give you two options okay?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Mommy can call Nanny Susan and set you up an appointment for some time today, so you can feel better, immediately, and then we'll go home and rest, or you and I can go home, have a good lunch, take a nap, and while you sleep Mommy will set up your appointment for tomorrow," Santana told her.

Marley reached out and grabbed the first finger and started crying harder. She was being selfish. She was taking Santana away from Noah. She was looking after herself instead of staying at the hospital showing she could be an amazing helper to her Auntie Quinn. Noah needed her and she was leaving him. She couldn't stay though, she was in too much pain. Noah was going to hate her and probably do something to her when he finally made it to their house.

* * *

><p>In the other room, Noah was now awake and looking at Quinn, moving his body a bit, in order to get a good view of her. He liked that his mouth felt cleaner. "Mommy," he said softly and Quinn smiled.<p>

"Yes my boy?" she asked him.

"Why Mar-ree cry?" he asked.

"I don't know love. I think she's just having a really bad day," Quinn said.

"Mem-ries?" he asked.

"Possibly. She had a rough morning. She went to the bathroom and got herself stuck inside and it took us a good fifteen minutes to get her out of there. She's been upset ever since," Quinn explained.

"A Coh'set," he said.

"Marley brought her blocks for you, bud, will you spell for us?" Kurt asked him and he nodded. Kurt and Quinn both watched as he worked out his own system. He picked up each block and brought them over to the right, until it was in his line of sight. Then he realized this was going to take forever, and explaining things to help Marley was more important, so he tried a different tactic.

"Mommy," he said. "ABC," he told her and then tapped the table top in a line, trying to indicate he wanted them in alphabetical order.

"You want them in a line bud?" she asked him and he nodded simply.

"ABC pee," he told her.

"An alphabetical line," Quinn smiled and set it up for him. "Alright bud, here are all the letters. I'm going to put your finger on the A to start and you pull out the letters you want," she told him.

He nodded, very quietly said his alphabet and slid the correct letters out of line, so that he had a word spelled out. C..L..O..S..E..T Of course Kurt wasn't quite paying attention and when he looked he saw C..E..L..O..S..T "Who was in a closet Noah?" Quinn asked and Kurt looked amazed. She heard Marley crying and wanted to help her, but Noah was her primary focus right now and she had to pay attention to him.

"Me," he said. "I t'ink Mar-ree too," he told them.

"It would explain why she started freaking out when she couldn't get the bathroom door open," Quinn said thoughtfully. "Noah, I don't want to give you any kind of bad memories, so we don't have to talk about this now, if you don't want to, but did anything happen in the closet?" Quinn asked.

"No," he said honestly. Nothing ever really happened in the closet. It was always just dark and cold and where he personally had spend a lot of time. When Terri got really angry or wanted to forget about him, or had to "hide" him from whatever company she had coming over, that was where he went. He tried to fight her, but only a little bit. He didn't mind the closet so much, because at least it meant he was away from her. He just didn't want her to figure that out, so he would put up a little struggle. Then he listened and he decided that there was something more going on. He pushed the letters back into line and thought for a moment. "Mar-ree, pay-na," he asked hearing her crying in the bathroom.

"I don't know bud," Kurt said honestly. "I know that Marley cries a lot when she's had a bad day and today was not a good day for her," Kurt explained.

"Her 'pay-na?" Noah repeated with concern.

"Can you spell it with your blocks please?" Quinn requested and he very carefully ran through all the letters, until he spelled the word PAIN. "Alright, I will ask," Quinn said. "I'm going to have Kurt stay with you and I'll go talk okay?"

"Papa," Noah said and then nodded that Quinn could leave.

Quinn smiled at Kurt and went to go talk to the girls. Rachel had left the room and still wasn't back yet. Kurt however moved into Noah's line of sight and spoke kindly. "You know buddy, I told you before that you could call me Papa, and you can if you want to, but you don't really have to okay?"

"I wanna," Noah said kindly.

"Alright, as long as you want to, but if you change your mind at some point, know that I'm not going to mind. You have been told, and will continue to be reminded, that you do have a say in how things go. Marley does too. She feels that being a little girl is safer for her, and that we are her family, but she had many days in the hospital to figure that out. I feel like you're being pressured into something you don't want and that's not fair," Kurt explained.

Noah got tense and Kurt backed off. If his monitors showed distress while Quinn was gone, Kurt would be a dead man. As kind as Quinn was, she was as protective of Noah as Santana was of Marley. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry bud. You can call me Papa, but I want you to do it because you want to okay?" Noah simply nodded and snuggled down into the bed. He took Kurt's hand and closed his eyes. Maybe this family would be better than his original one. He decided to start with that, just see where this family would lead him. It couldn't be any worse than Terri. Marley seemed to be thrilled with her family and trust them a lot. He also knew they kept saying he could make choices and decisions of his own. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be anyone's little boy or not, but right now, he did feel safe, and he hadn't had that feeling in years. With one last squeeze to Kurt's hand, Noah drifted to sleep.

* * *

><p>Rachel finally returned with an ice pack and handed it to Santana. She put it on the bed and then sat down on it, pulling out her cell phone, while Quinn sat in the chair, holding Marley on her lap. They'd managed to guide her out of the bathroom, and settled on to Quinn's lap. Marley was in pain, and fighting sleep though. She'd get close and then jolt slightly, waking herself up. "Oh shit," Santana said softly and both women looked at her.<p>

"I haven't looked at my phone all morning. Dr. Isabelle wants to get her into the office either this afternoon or in two days," Santana said.

"Who's Dr. Isabelle?" Quinn asked softly.

"A psychotherapist. Marley needs more help than we can give her. She has to work through all of her issues and being a little girl with us, just isn't everything she needs," Santana said.

"So then why oh shit?" Quinn asked calmly.

"Because before Marley goes to see Dr. Isabelle, she should probably go see Nanny Susan and Santana doesn't know which decision to make first," Rachel said.

"Show off," Santana scowled.

"Just keeping sitting on your ice pack," Quinn told Santana. "How about Auntie Quinn has a suggestion," she said kindly and she pet Marley's entire body gently, waiting for her to calm down. Eventually, Marley just hiccuped and Quinn spoke kindly. "Lady Bug," she said kindly. "I know you're in pain sweetheart. What if Mama and Auntie Quinn took you to see Nanny Susan and she made you feel better. Would you be okay with that?" Quinn asked.

"Mommy, I good," she cried looking to Santana with nothing but fear in her eyes. Quinn was just grateful that Noah was sleeping through this particular tantrum.

"Yes you are baby. You are a very good girl," Santana said and she reached out for Marley. Quinn shot her a questioning look. Santana made a grabbing motion with her hands and looked at Quinn seriously. Rachel nudged Quinn gently and she stood up with Marley and lead her to the bed. Santana gathered her baby girl in her arms and the two of them laid down. "Marley Rose, listen to Mommy. You are a very good girl, but right now, sleep," she said.

"Nooo," Marley whined softly.

"Yes. Nap time for Mommy and Marley and Noah. We're going to lay here, together in this bed, and baby girl Marley, is going to take a nap," Santana said and she wasn't messing around. She'd made her decision. The only way Marley was going to get any relief is if she calmed down and the only way that was going to happen was a nap.

An hour later, Marley was finally, peacefully, asleep and Rachel took the moment to speak up. She saw nothing but confusion on her friend's face. "Santana, it's okay to not know, and it's okay to let her be this upset. She's confused and she's not going to get any less confused until she goes to see Dr. Isabelle, but me rubbing her belly, it's not working. She needs to see Nanny Susan," Rachel said.

"I'm not doing anything to or for her when she's that upset, other than holding her. End of discussion," Santana said.


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey Everyone,**

**I hope you all had a wonderful week. It is Sunday so therefore it is officially update day. :) Things are a little crazy in my life at the moment, so as far as I can tell, no bonus updates this week. But maybe something great will happen and you'll get one. I make no promises about that though.**

**Warnings: Two little ones freak out this time. I'm going to give it a squick factor of about 4. You know what's going to happen to Marley, but we don't actually see it this time. I figured you didn't all need a second description. One treatment is very much like the rest of them.**

**As always, big thanks to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, and Beaner008 for their encouragement and inspiration. To everyone who has sent me a review, or PM regarding the story and telling me how much you like it. I am always truly honored and humbled by how many people actually are enjoying the story.**

**Be well my friends.**

* * *

><p>The next day, Marley woke up in bed and wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten there. She remembered giving Santana a hard time about getting ready for bed, but as far as actually getting in it, she was clueless. There was another figure in bed with her and had dark hair, so she rolled into it, snuggled up close and smiled as warm arms moved around her and the figure pulled her closer. She put her head on the person's chest and smiled. "Mama," she said softly.<p>

"Well good morning to you too baby girl," Rachel smiled and she started to pet Marley's hair with one hand and rub her lower back with the other. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to come back to the land of the living," Rachel teased and Marley just let out a soft purr. Rachel was holding her. Her Mama had her safe and protected. Based on that alone, Marley knew she was okay. "Did you sleep well, you've been sleeping for a very long time," Rachel said. Marley nodded and turned her face into Rachel's side, blocking out the light as best she could. There was still a small trace of a headache, but nothing like yesterday at the hospital.

"Oooh, no, Mama," she said getting slightly panicked. "Hop-sit-a, where Noah?" she asked.

"He's still at the hospital baby, he'll be coming here this afternoon, which it almost is," she said and Marley turned to look at the bedside clock. 11:53.

"I s'eep'd 'ong time," she said softly.

"You did," Rachel agreed. "You slept a very long time, but I think you needed it," she told her. "We've been waiting for you to wake up though. We're going to go see Mommy at the club," she said.

"Mommy go?" Marley asked.

"Mommy had to go to work. She gave you a gazillion kisses before she left, trying to wake you up, but you weren't having it. Your body decided that sleep was the best thing for you at the time," Rachel said.

"We see Mommy?" she asked.

"We are. You and Mama are going to go to the club and see Mommy, and talk with Nanny Susan about getting your tummy to feel better," she assured her and Marley pouted. "I know, you don't want to talk about your tummy, but it helped last time didn't it?" Rachel asked.

"I dun wan' dem aww a time Mama," she said sadly.

"That's good, because they are not going to happen all the time," Rachel told her. "They only happen, when you get so backed up it hurts to go. Do you remember what they are called?"

"M 'n M," Marley said.

"Very close baby," Rachel grinned. "But for right now, we don't have to worry about it. What we can do, is text Mommy a picture of you being awake," Rachel said.

"Kays," Marley agreed. She loved the camera. She wasn't sure why, but she liked taking pictures of anything, including herself. She seemed to have a knack for it as well. Rachel pulled out her cell phone, they took a selfie of the two of them cuddled up in bed, and Rachel tapped in the phrase, finally awake.

"Good girl, now should we get up and have some breakfast? Or lunch at this point?" she asked with a smile.

"K'n I has eggs 'n toas'" she asked on a yawn.

"Yes. Mama will make you eggs on toast. Do you want them to be green too?" she teased her.

"Ray-bow," Marley giggled.

"Silly girl," Rachel smiled and she helped Marley up to her feet and lead her out to the kitchen. "You can have rainbow fruit. Strawberries, cantaloup, pineapple, honeydew, blueberries, and purple grapes, seedless," she said.

"Too muss Mama," Marley pouted.

"One piece of each baby girl," she assured her. "Nothing that is too much for your tummy, I promise, and as soon as you finish, we can go see Mommy," Rachel promised.

She sat down at the table and looked around as Rachel put together her food. "Mama? Where Papa?" she asked.

"Well Mommy's at work. Papa went to a voice over audition and Auntie Quinn went to the hospital to be with Noah."

"She gives him cream? No more owies?" Marley asked rubbing her own cheeks softly.

"I know Mommy told Auntie Quinn about the aloe, but it has to be Noah's decision my love. Do you remember how we asked you if that was what you wanted?" Rachel asked and Marley sighed. For three straight days, she didn't want it at all. She didn't want anyone near her, not even Santana. The lotion on her hands was okay. Anytime anyone mentioned putting lotion or cream anywhere else on her, besides when they changed her diaper, she flipped out and didn't allow it. She was in severe pain and while Santana knew without question, the aloe would help, she was respecting Marley's limits and didn't push her. It killed her, but she didn't do it. If she was going to build trust, then she had to respect Marley. All of her. Her fears, desires, and hesitations. "I know you want to baby, but there is a reason maybe that Noah doesn't want it."

"Cause Terri mean. Her pin't, a lot! Buh' Mama, Auntie not mean. No pin't. He gotta, so he gess betta'," she pouted.

"Well perhaps when you see him later, you can explain that to him, but I'm telling you right now baby girl, you will explain it, you will not order it. The same rule Mommy has, I have too. The second you start ordering and commanding, you will be in time out," Rachel said and Marley scowled, but nodded. Rachel went back to the stove, finished making breakfast and even plated it to be a rainbow of color around around a brown piece of wheat toast, with the egg on top, looking much like the sun, shining over a rainbow, stacked over a brown house. Rachel was actually quite proud of her plating attempt.

Marley looked at it as it was set in front of her and gave a smile. "T'ank you Mama," she said softly.

* * *

><p>Santana paced the break room at the club and nearly plowed into Danielle as she walked into the room. "Jesus Rivers," she gasped. "Don't be so sneaky," she scolded.<p>

"Fuck off," she snapped and continued to pace along the bank of cabinets that made the counter top.

"What are you so on edge about?" she asked, "and I want an apology!" Danielle ordered

"It's nothing, and I'm sorry."

"Bullshit," Danielle said with a smirk. "You know I could always drag it out of you. They don't call me Miss Mercy for no reason," she said getting a little too close for Santana's liking.

"Back. Off," Santana said in a very slow and controlled voice and Danielle moved back. Something was very wrong and clearly, Santana didn't want to talk about it. She probably should, because it might help her, but she was being her usual stubborn self and talking was not an option at the moment.

The intercom sounded and Santana heard Nicole's voice in the background. "Go on sweetheart, call her, she can hear you, I promise," Nicole said.

"Hi Mommy," the soft voice said.

"Hi baby," Santana smiled and Danielle saw Santana calm instantly. She'd been worried about her baby apparently, which was fine. She was however still worked up about something.

"Nanny Susan is ready for all of you, in her room," Nicole said kindly.

"I'll meet you both there sweetheart. Don't let Mama wander off okay?" Santana teased and she felt better when she heard Marley giggle softly.

Nicole gave them directions and the three girls met at the nursery door and Marley beamed, glad to see Santana and gave her a hug. "Hello my baby girl. How are you?" Santana asked.

"Mommy? I ride Ney ney?" she asked.

Santana smiled and nodded. "As long as you do everything Nanny Susan says, then yes, you can ride the horse for a little while, before we go home where Auntie Quinn and Noah will be waiting for us," she told her and Marley nodded and moved to hug Santana carefully. "You're so special Marley, and I love you so much," she told her.

They entered the room and Marley immediately went tense. "No Mommy, no, I'm okay, I'm sorry," she said in panic. She spotted the big red hot water bottle bag on the "changing table" along with some other items she definitely recognized. She should, because it had taken about an hour to explain it all to her the last time. Everything was done so slowly and so gently the last time. Unfortunately, in Marley's mind, it was still a baba and still used for torture.

"Hey, hey, hey," Santana said gently. "Baby, you're okay, look at me," she said and Marley blinked tears at her. "Baby, why are you so scared? You come here all the time and as long as everything goes well, you can ride the horse like you want to," Santana told her.

"No, Mommy, no owies," she said and the door at the other end of the room opened and Susan walked in.

"I get to see almost all of my girls today," Susan smiled and Marley shrunk back, away from Susan and fell into Rachel who caught her quickly. "Oh dear," Susan sighed. She took a seat, far away from Marley and talked calmly. "Marley, is Nanny scaring you sweetheart?" she asked her kindly.

"No baba. No M 'n M," Marley whimpered.

"Are you afraid that you need one sweetheart?" she asked her kindly and Marley nodded. She knew she did, but she was still scared. She knew it would make her feel better, but maybe the last time was a fluke. Maybe the last time Susan had been nice, because she felt bad for her. Now Marley was an annoyance. Marley wasn't worth anyone's time. Marley knew how much trouble she was to those around her, especially in moments like this.

"No, no, no," she cried and she sunk down to the floor at Santana's feet and set to wailing while holding tight to Santana's leg. Santana started to wobble and Rachel helped to steady her. Santana spread her feet a bit and set her balance, before sighing and looking at the ceiling as if she were praying for help.

"That's new," Susan said kindly.

"This has been happening for a while now," Santana sighed.

"I'm actually getting worried about it. This is very different than fear. This is something going on inside her head that she doesn't want to deal with," Rachel said kindly although Santana, of course, took it as a personal attack.

"And as soon as we get her to Dr. Isabelle, she'll start to heal. It's just going to take a massive amount of time," Santana glared at her.

"Hey, back off. It's not you. I'm making a statement. I'm not attacking you," Rachel said seriously.

Santana rolled her eyes and then she looked at Susan. "She absolutely needs one, and I don't want her to have it while she's hysterical, but I don't want to take up your time either, so what would you like to do in this situation?" Santana asked Susan kindly.

"Kindly pick up your little girl and lie her on the the bench. Do not strap her in, but both of you stand on either side of her. Talk to her, and try to get her to calm down. I won't start until I know she's at least focused. Remind her that she can scream and yell all she wants and that we will not punish her for it. We are not doing this to hurt her, we are doing this so her stomach is no longer in pain," Susan told them.

Rachel and Santana both rolled their eyes. It was all true and it had all been explained several times, but they were both so exhausted. Marley was their baby girl and when they told her she could be that until she decided otherwise, they meant it. Lately though, it just seemed like she was getting worse, instead of better. Santana bent down and carefully lifted Marley to her feet. "I know baby girl, I know, I'm so sorry sweetheart," Santana told her and she held her close. She wanted to help her so much more than she was. "Come on baby girl, let's calm down. We're going to lay down and we're going to focus as best we can," Santana told her and with Rachel's help, they got Marley to lie on the bench, which was essentially the changing table in the nursery.

"Mama and Mommy are right next to you Marley," Rachel told her kindly and Marley screamed in fear and the let her. Several wails later, she stopped screaming and finally focused in on Santana's voice coming from above her.

"And Teddy Bear," Santana said, producing it from some unknown space.

"You really are her mom," Rachel smiled, gently taking the toy from Santana and she carefully rubbed it on Marley's cheek. "Shhh," she cooed gently and then Santana joined in and while Marley hiccuped and sobbed with burning lungs, Santana and Rachel cooed softly to her, getting her to calm down, little by little.

"Ow," Marley whined clutching at her chest, then belly, then legs, then head. She was a mess. Everything hurt her right now and Santana frowned. "I can help with a few things baby, but to get true relief in your tummy, Nanny Susan has to give you an enema," Santana explained.

"No, Mah, Ana, Pee," she cried, her lisp coming in at full force and she clearly didn't trust anything going on around her. She seemed torn and Rachel frowned. This was the situation they had hoped to avoid.

"Shhh, look at me sweetheart, look at me," Santana said kindly and she carefully pet Marley's cheek, waiting for her to focus in.

"Mah. Ana. Pee. G.g.g. . NO!" she pushed out.

"Shhh, it's okay Marley, it's okay. I'm right here and Rachel is right next to you. All I want you to do is focus, nothing else happens, until you focus in on us sweetheart," Santana told her. It only took two minutes, but it felt like two hours, with how upset Marley was.

"No bar Mommy," Marley wailed.

"Shhh, no bar Marley. There is no bar. There is nothing here to tie you down," Santana said.

"Can we not lie," Rachel hissed.

"You're going to push this now?" Santana pushed back.

"Yes, I am," Rachel said seriously. Santana rolled her eyes and Rachel ignored her and went for it. She hated lying to Marley. She hated not giving her all the information she was due. She wasn't a doctor of any kind, but she thought that surely, telling her there was no bar, when there was a thin white strappy buckle was bad. If Marley saw it, she'd freak out all over again. What was worse was that if she saw it while she was having the enema and she struggled too much, she could really hurt herself. "Marley, look at me honey, what's my name?" Rachel asked kindly.

"M.m.m.m.a, Ma," Marley stammered.

"Very good sweetheart. Now, listen to Mama very carefully. Easy questions for you okay?" Marley nodded. "I want you to put your hand right here on the edge. I want you to just feel," Rachel told her and Marley nodded and cried, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes, as she laid on her back. "Shhh, just feel baby. Nothing is going to happen. There is no white bar, did you hear what Mama said?" she asked her. She had to be sure Marley was listening and she knew that if she wasn't careful, Santana was going to beat the shit out of her later. Marley nodded. "Very good baby girl. No white bar. There is a strap. A tiny, light, white strap," she said and Marley started to go on edge. "That is not for Marley," Rachel stressed. "Not for Marley," she said. "No straps for Marley, no ties, no heavy white bar," Rachel told her. "Can you say all that?" she asked seeing Marley struggle a bit for breath. "No strap, no bar, no tying Marley down. Marley is just lying down on her back and Mommy and Mama are right here to protect her," Rachel said.

Marley nodded weakly. It felt like a true statement. She herself felt exhausted. She looked up at the ceiling and thought quietly for a moment. She closed her eyes and took Santana's hand. "M.m. . ...ah...eee," she stammered.

"Shhh, breathe baby, and yes Mommy's here. Mommy's here and Mama's here. We are not leaving you. Nanny Susan is going to help you today, like she did a few weeks ago when your tummy was hurting you so much. It's going to be almost exactly the same. Nanny Susan is going to go super super slow, and we're going to make sure you understand everything. There are three main differences, between last time and now, are you ready to hear them?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. "Alright baby, alright, that's okay. You tell me when you are. I won't force you. Keep breathing and then you let me know when you're ready," Santana told her.

"Thank you," Rachel said to Santana honestly. Santana gave her a strange look, but simply nodded. It just seemed better like this to Rachel. Marley had to know everything around her, so nothing was a surprise. Where Marley came from, everything was a surprise, and Rachel didn't want to cause any more anxiety than what was normally bound to happen.

It didn't take long for Marley to nod that she was ready. "Very good baby, and we're doing one difference at a time. Difference number one, you are at Mommy's work. Where were you the last time?" she asked her.

" . . . arm," she stammered. Her breathing was out of control and Santana didn't like it at all.

"Look at Mommy baby, just look at Mommy," she told her kindly. She was holding one of Marley's hands and using her free hand to pet the side of Marley's face. "Shhh, look at Mommy, can you blow out the candle? Can you do that. Pretend you have a candle and just blow. Nice and steady. I need you to get your breathing under control so your lungs stop burning," she told her. "Pretend baby, blow out the candle," she said and Marley practiced but it was a very short breath and it came six in a row. "That was excellent baby, keep going. One big slow steady breath," she told her and she practiced with her. Santana of course was able to do it, but Marley was still puffing out air, in short bursts. Eventually she worked down to only two semi long breaths and Santana lavished her with praise and pretty soon, she was calm.

Once she was completely calm, Santana took a step back and reached under the bench to pull out a napkin. She knew Susan kept both wet wipes and napkins beneath the table top. She used the napkin to dry Marley's tears and then kissed her forehead. "You're doing very well sweetheart. Now, Mommy said three different things. The first, we are not at home, but you are not alone. Mommy is right here and I am not leaving," she assured her.

"Neither am I," Rachel spoke up and with a smile Santana continued.

"The second difference is when we did this the last time, you laid on Mommy's belly, do you remember that?" she asked her and Marley nodded. "This time, you're just laying on your back, because you don't need so much help this time. Laying on your back will keep you more comfortable," Santana told her. She left out the part that the bench top was angled slightly backward. It had been done on purpose and she was fully aware of it. Some little ones actually liked enemas and the ones who wanted to be teased to orgasm were put on the table and then reclined a lot more, giving Susan full access to their body. That's also why there were straps on the table; to help keep the 'baby' in place. Santana figured Marley didn't need that information.

"So how many things is that?" Santana asked.

"T.t.t.t.t, oooh," Marley stammered, still having trouble gaining her breath.

"Very good my baby girl and how many did Mommy say?" she asked.

"F.f.f.f.f," Marley pushed out but the air wasn't coming in like she wanted, so she just held up three fingers.

"Very good my love. Keep breathing, Pretend to blow out the candle," Santana coaxed. "Three, very good. Now. This is the third difference. Nanny Susan has a very special potty in this room. It's just like the potty Noah has to use," Santana said. Essentially it was a bed pan, but no little one who ever walked into Nanny's room called it that. Mainly because when she had it constructed, she put it in a chair. It resembled a toddler's training potty, but was designed to handle a full grown adult. For this session though, she removed the bed pan portion and kept it tucked away under the table top of the bench.

"N.n.n.n, oah?" Marley stammered.

"Yes baby. Noah has to use a bed pan. He can't make it out of the bed yet, because of all his medicine and his IV pole, he can't make it into the bathroom, so he goes on a bed pan," Santana explained.

"Ha...ow?" Marley pushed out as best she could.

"Well either Nurse Helen or Auntie Quinn help him."

"F.f. .aww d.d.d. ? L.l.l. m.m.m. ?" she stammered, her teeth chattering as she spoke.

"I don't know honey. I think he just hangs on to them to help with balance but I don't know that he will fall down. I also know that Mama and I are here to help you and Nanny Susan is here too," Santana said.

"S.s.s.s.s...air," Marley pushed out.

"Shhh, pretend to blow out the candle sweetheart. Keep breathing nice and steady. I will be right here and I will not leave your side. You are more than allowed to be scared, and the rules are no different. Last time we went super super slow, explained everything to you, let you cry, and scream and you did not get into any trouble. All of that is going to happen again. I hope you don't cry and scream, but if you have to, you can. I won't be mad. I know, first hand, how scary this can be," she told her.

Rachel gave her a surprised look and Santana glared at her, she wasn't going to discuss that now. "We're right here baby. We will keep you very safe, I promise you that," Rachel told her and took one of Marley's hands in both of hers.

"S.s.s.s...een Mama," she pushed out. "P.p.p. ," she said.

"Of course I'll sing for you baby," Rachel smiled.

* * *

><p>At the hospital, Quinn was having her own struggle. Noah wanted out, and he wanted out now. He was tired of being in the hospital and had been told several times that as long as his levels were okay, he could leave with Quinn and go to the house.<p>

"Kin, I done! No more here. Go home," he pouted at her.

"I'm not in charge buddy. I know you want to go home. I want to go home too, but doctor Martinez has to release you, not me," Quinn told him. "Believe me buddy, if it were up to me, you would have been out of here, the second I walked in on that circus fiasco the other day," Quinn assured him.

"I'm t'ir'y pee," he said.

"Can you sign it for me buddy?" she asked. The other day, when he and Marley were bonding and getting to know each other, she'd taught him some basic signs. Thirsty, hungry, and her favorite one was cookie. With a heavy sigh, he signed thirsty and Quinn nodded. "We have water, ice chips, and cherry fruit punch. Do you have a preference?" she asked him.

"Pun't," he said.

"Punch it is," she said.

"Kin?" he asked softly as she poured the juice. "I ever talk right 'gain?" he asked.

"Of course you will. Marley had sores all over her mouth. She healed and so will you," Quinn said.

He nodded and very carefully drank the punch. Once it was done he let out a soft sigh and growled quietly in his position. "Why don't we try something to distract you bud," Quinn offered.

"How?" he asked.

"I don't know. What about questions. If you have any questions I can answer them for you."

"Bow what?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you have questions about your vision, or maybe you have questions about the house you'll be moving in to, or maybe you have questions about the people in the house," she suggested.

"B'ock, pee," Noah requested.

"That's fair, but I want you to try to say as much as you can. You have a beautiful voice, and the way to continue to get better, is to not stop practicing," she explained and he nodded his agreement.

"Mar-ree okay t'day?" he asked softly as he very carefully and methodically laid out the blocks on the table for himself. He constructed two rows. The top was A through M and then he left a very wide gap before making the second row of N through Z. When he was a little boy he would sit in school and day dream or doodle while his teacher lectured on about whatever lesson they were going over. He found a cure for his boredom in the alphabet, and he knew it inside out. He could recite it any which way, backwards or forwards, starting at any letter and going all the way round, till he got back to the start. He never dreamed it would actually come in handy somehow.

Quinn watched him build his rows as she assured him that Marley was safe. "Yes, Marley is okay today. She will be here later, or possibly meet us at the house. She had to go to my job for a little while with Santana and Rachel to get something taken care of. We will see her as soon as she's done, or we get home, which ever comes first.

"Kin," he asked softly. "I gonna be a-rone at da how?" he asked.

"No. You will not be alone at the house. Well I shouldn't say that, she corrected. Someone will always be in the house with you, but if you want alone time, we can arrange that, so you don't feel overwhelmed by all the people. There's going to be six of us in that house and it's not the biggest house in the world. It's not the tiniest either," she told him and he reached for her hand.

"I never get betta," he pouted.

"Why on earth would you say that Noah?" she asked him and she immediately regretted it. She'd accidentally snapped in her questioning and he clammed up. He pushed his blocks away subtly and he looked down at his lap immediately. She'd yelled. She'd yelled the way Terri yelled, just before something dreadful happened. The problem was that Terri and Quinn were very different. Quinn was going to try and get to the root of the concern, where as Terri would have just done whatever she pleased until Noah agreed to whatever it was Terri was requesting of him. "Noah," Quinn tried, but there was no response, not even a twitch. "Noah, I'm sorry. Quinn is very sorry she snapped at you Noah. Come back to me buddy. Come on," she coaxed, but it was too late, he was stuck in his head now.

_"Come here baby boy," she said sweetly and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he crawled over to her. "Very good. Turn around," she said and he basically presented his ass to her. She pulled down his underwear, that she had so 'graciously' allowed him to wear today. A lot of the time, she didn't want him wearing any underwear at all. It also meant that he was tired a lot and his genitals were sore. She didn't want him sitting on the floor, because he was a dirty boy. She didn't want him lying on his belly, because he might try to mark his territory and pee on her floor. He also might get excited and leave sticky stains all over her clean carpet. Once she had him where she wanted him, she snapped on a glove and roughly shoved her finger deep inside his bottom, with no warning and no lube. He let out a cry of pain and she gave him three solid spanks. "Dirty baby boys do not make noise! They take all the things that are given to them and they are happy to get any attention at all!" Terri barked at him. She pushed her finger in and out several times and removed her finger after a moment. There was a small trace of waste on it and she spanked him again. She yelled and scolded him, pushing her dirty finger into his mouth and screaming at him, how he was a terrible dirty potty boy and never going to learn. He would never be good enough for anyone and he'd be lucky if she could teach him anything at all._

He snapped out of his memory when there was a knock at the door. Nurse Helen was there to check his vitals one last time while Dr. Martinez filled out the release forms and Helen stopped. All she saw, was a sweet little boy who was clearly upset. His baby blue eyes were filled with tears that he was trying to hold back. His slightly shaggy, mousey brown hair, had fallen into his eyes and he wasn't moving. He looked like a mannequin to her. "Oh dear. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Quinn made a mistake and put much too much firmness in her voice at a simple question," Quinn said sadly. She hated that she was the reason this poor kid was freaking out and by legal standards, he was still a kid. He had only just turned seventeen.

"Noah buddy, can you hear me? Do you hear Nurse Helen?" she asked and he very slightly raised his left hand.

"He can hear you," Quinn said.

"How do you know?" Helen asked.

"Because he very slightly raised his left hand. Left is yes, Right is no. I taught him that, and I'm so grateful that he remembers that," Quinn said.

"Noah, can Nurse Helen have a private moment with you?" she asked him. "We'll send Quinn out into the hallway, just for a minute and then when I'm finished she can come back in. Obviously if you are mad at her, you both need some time to cool off," Helen said.

Noah let the tears fall. He didn't raise either hand, he just laid there, his chest heaving while he cried. He didn't care anymore. "I guess this is a bad day, and it's all my causing," Quinn sighed.

"Then I think you should do your best to comfort him and reassure him, that you didn't mean it how he thinks you did. You just were surprised or concerned, or perhaps frustrated," Helen said. "Press the call button when he is calm and you're ready for me to come back. I will make sure all the papers are filled out though," Helen said and with that she left the room.

"Noah, Quinn is very sorry buddy. I didn't mean to snap, I was just surprised," Quinn said and Noah broke down into further cries. By the time Quinn finished her reaction, Noah was sobbing so fiercely, that he was on the verge of hyperventilating and Quinn spoke quickly. "Noah. Quinn is going to get on the bed and hold you. I need you to focus and I need your body to calm down. I need you to breathe calmly again," she told him and then she just got on the bed, and held him. Her touch was gentle and while he tried to pull away at first, he quickly realized he'd missed a touch like that. His aunt had held him like that few times when he was younger. He remembered that feeling and he missed it, because the last time he was held like that, was the night his little seven year old world fell apart.

"MOMMY!" he screamed and he fell into Quinn, continuing to sob, but not as erratically. An hour later, Quinn had a sleeping Noah in her arms and she pushed the call button for Nurse Helen. While she waited, she pulled out her phone and dialed Santana.

"Hello?" Santana answered.

"Three days and I've fucked up already!" she grouched and then she heard Marley scream. "Never mind, we can talk at home," she sighed and she hung up.

"Not the day I wanted," Santana said looking at Rachel. She leaned down and kissed Marley's forehead and spoke gently. "You're okay baby girl and I promise you, you are not the only one having a bad day."


	40. Chapter 40

**Hello Everyone,**

**I hope you are all well! I know it's currently Saturday, but my life is about to get very crazy for the rest of the weekend, so pretend it is Sunday.**

**That covers the first bit of business, the second is as follows. I am currently conducting a poll. It's not a fancy schmancy thing, because I don't know how to do that, so please leave a review to answer the polling question. I am working on a new story. It will be rated M and I'm telling you now that I honestly think M might not be high enough, but as this site does give higher ratings, M it is. The story is Faberritana Centric. I feel as this category is wrong, but since I have no other description for it, we're going with 100% CONSENSUAL SEXUAL age play. Anyone involved in it, has 100% agreed to it. For the most part. All the nonconsensual stuff is just touched upon lightly. Much like with Marley and this story. The poll is as follows:**

**YES - I want to read it**

**I'll give it a shot but I make no promises**

**NO WAY - I can't stomach it at all.**

**So there are you options, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you think. I feel that my style from Baby Steps to the new story hasn't changed so expect the same type of pace and language.**

**Now on to this story. :)**

**WARNINGS: None really - pretty safe chapter. :)**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it. **

**Everyone be well and the next update will be Sunday of next week, as usual.**

**Be well friends.**

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Noah and Quinn looked up from the couch to see Santana, Rachel, and Marley enter the apartment. "Who's that buddy?" Quinn asked him kindly and he turned sideways a bit.<p>

"Mar-ree!" he said with a smile. He'd never been more glad to see her. She dropped to her knees, crawled over to him as fast as she could and pulled herself up onto the couch. She brushed away her unshed tears and tried not to look so sad. She sat next to him and gently took his hand. His heart raced and she felt nothing but peace when she did that.

"I tired. We cudda?" she asked him.

"We cudda," he told her.

She snuggled into his chest and then pulled away. "Wait. Where is I gonna hurts you?" she asked him.

"No, it okay," he assured her and he laid back on the couch and she laid against him, resting her full weight, which wasn't much, against him.

"No matter what, I love you both," Quinn said and she stood up, leaving them alone and walked into the kitchen.

Santana wasted no time. She pulled her close and whispered into her ear. "You did not fuck up, but now, I think we just got out numbered," she said.

"Have these," Rachel said handing out little shot glasses of some whiskey she'd bought a while ago. The three of them downed the shot and Quinn spoke up.

"You go first, what happened?" she asked.

"Susan gave her an enema, because she needed one, and she did very well, but she cried and screamed the whole time, and she kept alternating between Mommy and Ana, and so I know she was beside herself." Quinn raised an eyebrow. "When she first got here in the house, we had to go through communication issues. She had sores all over her mouth, and her therapist actually encouraged the use of a pacifier. Something about keeping the lining of her mouth lubricated naturally, since Terri dried it out with all the vinegar. The problem was, as soon as she saw the pacifier, she tried to run away, and I mean run," Santana said and she paused.

"You don't get the entire bottle," Rachel smirked and poured everyone another shot.

"So she cowered over there, in the corner and I told her, that in that moment, because she was scared and didn't trust me, and that was okay, but because she didn't trust me, she couldn't call me Mommy."

"Well that makes sense," Quinn said.

"Really?" Rachel asked, "because Kurt and I were more upset about it than Marley and Santana were I think," she said.

"That is because you're not at the club," Quinn smiled. Rachel arched an eyebrow and Quinn smiled. "In the very beginning, Marley didn't know what she wanted. She'd tried to have a game with Terri. That's what she originally went in for, but Terri made it torture for her. In order for her to call Santana Mommy, she had to trust her. When you don't trust someone, the game stops. It's why our clients have a safe word. When they don't trust us, or the game they asked to play, they get to say their safe word. Calling Santana by her name, was essentially Marley's safe word, but Marley didn't know that," Quinn explained.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying, but I still hear her screaming in my head," Rachel said honestly. Santana gave a soft laugh and raised her shot glass. Rachel smiled and she and Quinn followed suit. With the second shot down, the three girls sat down at the kitchen table

"Your turn," Santana said kindly. "What makes you think you "fucked up" at the hospital?" Santana asked.

Quinn sighed and looked at her friends. "He asked me a question. Well no. He made a statement," Quinn said. "Actually I can't remember. It was a bit of both. It took me by surprise and my question to him as to why on earth he would ask something like that came out with much too much bite to it and he did what Marley does. He went into his head, started breathing heavily, and went stone still. When he finally came back to me, he screamed Mommy at the top of his lungs. It's that scream. That scream that tears at your heart a little bit, and I just. I felt so lost," Quinn admitted.

"See?" Rachel said to Santana. "When you freak out, you call for help. You don't hold it in and become this crazy stressed Mommy who is too tense to deal with her child," she lectured and Santana rolled her eyes. "Roll your eyes at me all you want, but you know I'm right. You being stressed helps no one, including you! I'm surprised you haven't need an enema yet," she said glaring at Santana.

"Drop it now!" Santana glared.

Quinn held up her hand and poured another round of shots. "You my dear Rachel forget. I work there, so what happens at the club, I already know about and unless she wants to tell you, you're never going to find out," Quinn said simply and they all downed the next shot. They were still there at the table, discussing varying topics when Kurt came home and looked at his friends.

"I'm not sure if I want to have a shot before or after?" he said.

"Before," Santana and Rachel said and they handed him the shot. He downed it and held the empty glass out for seconds. After his third shot, he was ready to hear what was going on.

"First of all, health wise, where is everyone?" he asked.

"Noah still needs surgery for his eyes, and Marley is as empty as humanly possible. I think she was more embarrassed than anything, and we really need to watch her diet. Will you help me work up better meals and snacks for her?" Santana said. Kurt nodded and she turned to Rachel. "Satisfied?" she sassed.

"Brat," Rachel said simply.

Kurt ignored them and turned to Quinn. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you at the hospital. What did I miss?"

"I fucked up," Quinn sighed.

"Clearly," Kurt said with a knitted brow. "Both kids," he said and then he paused. "Kids?" he asked.

"It'll work for now," Quinn said.

"Kids are sleeping," Kurt said. "So clearly, if they are cuddled up and sleeping peacefully together, you did not fuck up," Kurt reasoned.

Quinn laughed softly and poured herself a shot. She downed it and then recounted the story of how she scared Noah. "It just kills me that he calls me Mommy," Quinn said.

"I thought that was the point," Kurt said kindly.

"He told Quinn in the hospital, he didn't want to be a baby," Rachel offered pouring another round of shots for everyone.

"I thought that was the point though? A little one who needed help," Kurt said again, not quite following along.

"Well he told her, he never had any intention of being a little one. It was forced upon him, slightly, thanks to Terri, and the only reason he calls me Mommy, as best I can figure is because he thinks it's going to spare him some sort of beating," Quinn explained. "He screamed it when I held him. Screamed it. I haven't heard him scream like that. He was just so terrified, and it was because I snapped at him. I didn't mean to snap at him, it just sort of happened."

"We've all snapped at Marley and she cowers. We're not perfect. We get frustrated," Rachel said kindly.

"Yeah, all he did was make a statement. He wasn't pestering me or doing anything that would require me to snap," Quinn said.

"Okay, so what was his statement?" Santana asked.

"He told me he's never going to get better," Quinn sighed, finally remembering what it was that he said.

Santana took a deep breath, and grabbed one of Quinn's hand, squeezing it tight. Then she gathered the four shot glasses in the center of the table and picked up the bottle. She topped off each one and then corked it, still holding on to Quinn's hand. Kurt and Rachel shared a look, but it went unnoticed by anyone else. As she passed out the four glasses she spoke. "We haven't done anything wrong. We are helping two lost souls on their road to recovery. We're going to drink our shots, put away the whiskey and then I think all the grown ups need a nap too," she smiled and then she raised her glass. The entire time, she hadn't let go of Quinn and it didn't look like she was about to either. "To recovery," she said holding up her glass. The other three nodded, clinked their glasses, and they all threw back the shot.

* * *

><p>Santana was the first awake and looked around at all the sleeping bodies. She smiled to herself and then carefully pulled out her phone. Marley and Noah were cuddled up together, spooning on the couch, and he had a protective arm wrapped over her. She snapped a picture and then carefully stood up and stretched. She looked down at her phone and realized there was a voicemail waiting for her. She growled softly to herself when she noticed the number. Things had been so calm. The mention of Dr. Isabelle would not go over well.<p>

She stood up, moved to the kitchen, and then began washing out the shot glasses. Once she set the last one on the drain rack, she pulled out her phone and listened to the voice mail. "Santana, this is Dr. Isabelle, I'm calling to set up the appointment with you and Marley. I think that having you both to start, will be the best way to go. According to Beth, Marley has trust issues, and rightfully so. Call me back as soon as you receive this message please," she said and just before she hung up, she gave the number.

Santana sighed and began to dry the semi dry shot glasses. She wanted them away before the kids woke up. She didn't know how much alcohol Terri consumed or what Noah and Marley knew about it, so she decided to put it away, so as not to cause them any anxiety. She was drying the last one when she felt something grab her leg and sit on her foot. She smiled and looked down. "I know you," she grinned and reached down to gently pet the top of the brunette head that was now almost as tall as her hip. Marley looked up and grinned sleepily. "Did you have a good nap baby girl?" she asked.

"Mmmm," Marley said and then very carefully, used Santana to pull herself up to standing and then hugged Santana while lying her head on Santana's shoulder.

"My sweet baby girl. I'm glad you had a good nap," Santana told her.

"Noah good at cuddas Mommy, buh you bedda, shhhh," Marley said smiling a bit.

"I'll keep it a secret baby," Santana promised.

"Mommy?" Marley asked cautiously. "You gonna sends me away?" she asked. In that second Santana saw Marley go from baby girl around age three, to a struggling adult, craving to be in a little girl's world. It made Santana's heart break.

"Marley my love, look at me please," she said gently as she rubbed Marley's back and kissed her temple a few times. Marley got brave after a few minutes and finally Santana spoke. "Marley Rose, you are now and forever my baby girl. I don't know what I would do without you. You are allowed to be whatever age you want, whenever you want. You are also allowed to leave me anytime you wish. I will support any decision you make, but if you are leaving it up to me, then I am keeping you here, with me, because I love you too much to ever let you go," Santana said. "Do you understand?" she asked her, gently pushing her tears away with the pads of her thumbs.

Marley nodded, but Santana could tell from her eyes, that she was just agreeing to agree, that she didn't truly believe it. She also knew she was working with frightened, more grown up Marley, rather than her baby girl. She was about to say something when Marley's stomach growled instead. "What was that?" she smiled. "I think someone might be a little bit hungry. How about you and I have a snack together," Santana suggested. Marley simply nodded. "Yeah? Okay. What should we have. Should we have apple slices and peanut butter maybe?" she suggested and Marley gave a soft smile and nodded. It was one of her favorite snacks, now that she could eat apples again. "Alright, do you want to help me slice the apples or do you want to scoop out peanut butter?" Santana asked her. Marley shyly held up two fingers. "You are my best girl," Santana smiled at her. She rubbed her back and kissed her cheek, leading her over to the counter top and handed her the peanut butter, a plate, and a spoon. "Okay baby girl, count out three big scoops, that should be enough," she said.

Marley put it all on the plate and then put the spoon on the sink and tried to cap the peanut butter jar. However, her coordination wasn't as strong as she hoped it was and she dropped the jar on the floor. She immediately gasped out of fear and fell down to the floor, screaming in pure fear. It was what woke everyone else.

"Mar-ree!" Noah screamed. He had to get to her, but he didn't know where anything was. Quinn had meant to show him around when they first arrived, but he was so tired from his own tantrum, that he needed sleep more than anything else, so the tour was skipped for the time being.

Marley never heard Noah screaming for her. "It's a wonder, the neighbors haven't called the cops," Rachel said and she moved to help Santana. Marley was on the floor, curled up tightly in the fetal position crying for her Mommy. "What do you need help with?"

"Explain to Noah, that she scared herself," Santana said as she sat down and gathered her little girl close, whispering softly into her ear, that she was safe with Santana.

"M.m.m. .m.m.m.m,ee, fi-ah," she whimpered stammering as she talked.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay," Santana assured her and she kept her tight and rocked her gently. "Can someone bring me a pacifier please?" Santana called out.

"I he'p," Noah insisted. He'd listened to everything Rachel said and while it all made sense, he wasn't sure he believed it. If they kept him away from her, then he would know they were lying to him, and that he and Marley would somehow have to escape.

"Alright, bud, you can help, but I have to help you okay? I want to guide you, because you haven't had a proper tour yet. I don't want you bumping into anything and hurting yourself. I'll walk behind you and guide you," Quinn told him kindly.

He nodded. "What a fi-ah?" he asked her.

"That's Marley's pacifier. There is one right on the coffee table in front of you. If you put your hand straight out and touch the table and then move a touch to the left, you'll feel it," Quinn said. She wanted to give it to him, but she and Rachel both knew he had to discover it on his own. They had to guide him and let him do as much as he wanted or could on his own. He had to gain their trust and he showed great signs of independence at times.

"Keen?" he asked her.

"Yes, it's clean, but if you want to wash it off to be extra sure, we can do that," Quinn assured him.

"Eh," he said nodding yes. "Keen more," he told Quinn.

"Okay," Quinn agreed. "I'm going to move in behind you Noah. I'm going to help you walk and I'll tell you when to turn left and right," she told him. "Before we move, tell me, do you want to wash off the pacifier or can Quinn do it?" she asked him.

"Me. Wa-wa onwy," he said seriously.

"Alright, but you need to be calm okay? The only reason Marley is so upset, is because she scared herself and is reliving some sort of memory, we think, so we need to be calm okay? I promise you, Santana, Rachel, Kurt, and I will never hurt either of you," Quinn assured him. "It's just as Rachel said. Marley dropped the jar of peanut butter and scared herself," Quinn assured him. That made sense to him. If you ever did anything wrong in Terri's house, you were quickly and severely punished. Food was a huge issue with her. He thought it was because she didn't eat enough, but he never said that to her. Once he had asked Terri what he could make for dinner and somehow that earned him a rather severe spanking and no food at all that day. It made sense that even though Marley was safe, she still had major triggers from a not so recent past come to haunt her. He had them too, if he was going to be honest.

"Kay, I ready," he said and he stood up on his own, the pacifier gripped tight in his hand. Quinn gave a proud smile and then moved in behind him. She guided him to the kitchen and helped him wash off the pacifier.

"Let's dry it off buddy, here's a paper towel," she said handing it to him. He took it from her and carefully squeezed it around the nipple, to dry it off.

"Here Mar-ree, keen now," he told her and he held it out to her. She took it and shoved it into her mouth, coughing as her breathing started to regulate.

"Can you say thank you to Noah?" Santana coached kindly. Marley shook her head no and cried harder. Her breath was so erratic and out of control, nothing was going to come out of her mouth. "Shhh, breathe baby, you're okay. Mommy's here," Santana assured her. She sat with her for another ten minutes and rocked slowly. "Okay, snack time for Marley now okay?" she asked her.

Marley shook her head no, but her stomach growled. It was getting very close to the three hour mark, since the last time she ate. Her body was regulating really well and she blushed heavily when she realized her body had given her away. "Oooh, I heard a tummy," Santana said kindly. "Come on love. Why don't we have a snack. Maybe Mommy can feed you," she suggested.

"I he'p Tana?" Noah asked softly.

"You can help," Santana nodded. "You can even eat some of it too," she told him.

"What are you having?" Quinn asked kindly.

"Can you tell them baby girl?" Santana asked kindly and Marley shook her head no. "Apple slices and peanut butter," Santana said for her, giving Marley several sweet kisses to help reassure her of her surroundings.

"I rike dat," Noah said with a smile.

"Oh good. Well then, everyone to the table please, and we'll all sit down and eat," Santana said kindly.

"Noah, I'll help you first buddy and then I'll come back and help Marley and Santana okay?" Quinn said. He nodded and let Quinn guide him to the seat. Then she went back and helped, Santana and Marley to their feet. Marley tried to climb up Santana's body and whimpered when she realized it wasn't going to happen.

"You don't need to be carried baby girl. You're okay. I promise. You can sit in my lap though. That's perfectly okay with me," Santana told her lovingly giving her several more kisses as they sat down.

Noah was seated across from them, so that he could see Marley. What he didn't like was that even though she was in Santana's arms, she was still shaking. "Mar-ree, I fee you?" he asked her and she gave him a look. She didn't know if she was ready to trust that yet, but he had been an excellent cuddler, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Santana stayed quiet. She loved that Noah seemed to be completely on board with helping Marley in any way he could. "Noah, I think that is very kind of you, but can I explain one thing to you?" Santana asked and he nodded. "Terri was very rough with Marley, so if she says you can feed her, you can, but you have to have very precise aim. The food can only go in her mouth," Santana said.

"Her haff fi-ah. No food," Noah said sounding a bit confused.

Marley's eyes went wide and she burst into tears. She wasn't focused and didn't understand what Noah was saying. He was implying she couldn't eat with the pacifier in her mouth. She thought he was implying she wasn't allowed to eat at all. She broke down into hysterics and clung to Santana, trembling violently. Santana took a breath and looked at Quinn. "You stay with him. Eat the snack. I'm taking her to the bedroom. Kurt, I need help please," Santana called.

"That's the first time I've ever heard you say please," Quinn laughed as Kurt walked over and carefully pulled a hysterical Marley into his arms.

"You're not funny," Santana said glaring at Quinn.

"Wrap her in a blanket, as tight as you can and then just cuddle her. I promise you, it helps," she said and Santana went after Kurt into the bedroom.

Marley was laid on the bed, Santana changed her diaper, and then wrapped her as tightly as she could in a blanket before gathering her close and letting her cry it out. The blanket had worked though. She wasn't as hysterical, and all the pressure from both the blanket and Santana helped to calm her nerves.

"I good Mommy, pee I eat," she begged.

"Of course you can eat sweetheart," Santana said, surprised it'd come out so clear. She was just grateful Marley wasn't stuttering or gasping for breath.

"I good," she cried.

"Shhh, yes baby, you are a very good girl and as soon as you calm down, we will eat. Look Papa even brought the snack in for you. You can feed yourself, or Mommy can feed you, it's up to you," she assured her.

"Mommy, I eat," she said softly.

"Okay. Mommy will feed you, but baby bites to start okay?" she asked gently and Marley nodded. She stayed wrapped up tight in her blanket, but cuddled in Santana's lap and it just made her feel that much better.

After her snack, she fell quiet again and then snuggled down into Santana. "Mommy," she said softly. "Au...Auntie Quinn stay. Noah not," she told her.

"Why is that baby? Why do you want Noah to leave?" she asked her with genuine curiosity, and a very difficult attempt at keeping her voice calm. What Santana didn't like, was that Marley was starting to show signs of jealousy, and that would hinder her recovery even further. Santana loved her baby girl, more than she would ever care to admit, but potty training and walking had to happen. Pausing her recovery processes, due to jealousy, was not something Santana was prepared for.

"He didn't want me eat Mommy," she said sadly.

"Noah didn't want you to eat baby?" Santana asked with confusion. She had been sitting right there. He'd offered to feed her. She must have misunderstood something, but Santana had no idea what it was and she didn't want her to relive it. "Okay, okay. Tell you what. I will talk to Noah and we will figure it out, but after you finish your snack. Maybe when you're done we can go and play with your piano," Santana suggested. She was fairly sure that she needed a nap, but since she just woke up from one, Santana wasn't going to push that.

"Santana! Phone!" Rachel called from the living room.

"Take a message for me!" Santana called back and cuddled Marley, continuing to feed her tiny bites.

* * *

><p>"Santana's phone," Rachel answered and then put her hand on her forehead. Why did she always sound so ridiculous answering someone else's phone.<p>

"Rachel?" an oddly familiar voice asked. "It's Joe," he said.

"Why do you sound like you've been smoking three packs a day?" she asked.

"Allergies and a cold, I think," he said.

"I'm so sorry," she said honestly.

"Thanks. Listen. I won't be able to make Marley's appointments this week. Her normal homework is bridges and crawling and all of the usual stuff. Have her do whatever she wants, in however many sets she wants. Make it a game if you can, but we're going to add something new this week. I want her to stand up at the sink and brush her teeth on her own. No help, no support. Just her and that sink. Can you do that?"

"You make it sound so easy," she sighed and she could almost hear him roll his eyes on the other end of the line. "You got it. Brush teeth. No help. Done,' she said.

"Thank you. I'll see you next week," he said and then he hung up.

"Feel better," Rachel said kindly. She then hung up and sighed. "Not easy," she groaned and looked at Kurt who was pretending to flip through a magazine, but stopped when he heard Rachel make a soft grunt of annoyance. He simply looked at her and Rachel sighed. "That was Joe. She has to brush her teeth," she said.

"She does that already," Kurt countered.

"On her own. No help. No bodily support from us," Rachel said.

"Ugh!" Kurt said and Noah watched the exchange before turning to Quinn.

"Mar-ree can no do dat?" he asked.

"Do what bud?"

"Be up. Walk," he said. S's were not happening so it took some figuring out as far as communication went, but eventually he got it and said what was needed.

"Not that I'm aware of. I think Terri did a lot more muscular damage to Marley's legs than she did to yours, so that might be what they are talking about," Quinn suggested.

"Rae!" Noah said raising his hand as if he were in school and Rachel looked over and smiled.

"I see you bud, hang on. Sit with Mommy, I'll be right there," she said and Kurt kicked Rachel's shin lightly.

"Not Mommy," he said softly out of the side of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Noah. I mean sit with Quinn," Rachel said and Noah nodded and then reached blindly for another apple slice. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. However with his compromised vision, his hand went straight into the peanut butter blob and he whimpered. The texture was terrible and it reminded him of when Terri would force him to be her toilet. There were a great number of steps to this terrible procedure and he started to cry immediately.

"Shhh, shhh, you're okay bud. It's just peanut butter. Let me get a wet towel and clean you up," Quinn said kindly and urgently. She had to make sure she was heard and that Noah didn't slip into his memories and nightmares. Terri had done things to him, that most people would never even dream of. Quinn didn't want him reliving those things, if it was possible. She very quickly cleaned him up and then kissed his temple. "All fixed bud. You can still eat more," she told him.

"Mommy feed," he said sadly. He wasn't living through that again. Once had been enough and anytime he touched something with a certain texture, his brain went into overload.

"Noah buddy. You have to be very sure," Quinn said cautiously.

He nodded. "Pee Mommy, you do," he said sadly. Quinn nodded and moved over to his right.

"What if we do it together buddy. You and Mommy can work as a team. I will guide you," Quinn bargained. He thought for a moment and then nodded his agreement. She took his hand and helped him eat the apple slices dipped in peanut butter. He smiled happily and then started to cry when he finished. "Are you okay buddy?" she asked him and he shook his head. "Do you want to cuddle?" she offered. He nodded and she gathered him close. "Noah my love, listen to Mommy Quinn okay?" she said softly and he nodded. "You're a good boy and the only reason you are in this position is because a very bad lady, did very bad things to you. I promise you that I will help you get better. I promise that you can call me Mommy if that's what you want. I promise you that Santana, Rachel, and Kurt will help you too. I promise you. You never have to be alone," she said. He nodded and snuggled into her. It was nice to hear promises of love and justice, rather than empty threats and violent words.

"T'ank you Mommy," Noah whimpered.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the girls were getting dinner ready, while Kurt stayed with Marley and Noah in the living room. He was playing the simon game with them, and they were laughing hysterically, because their Papa was having a great deal of difficulty with this game. Marley had red, Noah had green, and Kurt worked the yellow and blue. It would beep and do well for a while, but once they hit seven and eight beeps in a row. Kurt would mess up and the thing would buzz. Noah and Marley found this hysterical. He was laughing because she was laughing and she was laughing, because she was feeling very little and fart noises were funny to her.<p>

"Do you think he's doing that on purpose?" Quinn whispered to Rachel.

"Probably. He does whatever he can to make her laugh, and I can promise you, he's doing the same for Noah," Rachel said kindly.

"Papa!" both little ones shouted and then they all burst into hysterics. Kurt missed his turn in time and the machine buzzed.

"Silly game," Kurt said. "I'm sorry guys, I didn't remember which one it was," he told them.

"Is kay Papa!" Marley said and she moved over and kissed his cheek. Noah nodded his agreement and did the same thing.

"One of you, needs to bear his children," Santana said tapping both Quinn and Rachel.

"Rachel's it!" Quinn said quickly.

"Whoa! How did that happen?" Rachel said looking very shocked.

"We have babies, it's your turn," Quinn smirked.

"You're still fresh," Rachel said, mainly to Santana.

"You still should," Santana said. "You two have a baby. I'll take my little girl, Quinn will take her little boy, and we'll move out of this apartment and into the suburbs."

"Whatever the two of you are smoking at night to give you these crazy delusions, kindly share it or stop smoking it," Rachel said and she finished putting together the salad and called into Noah. "Noah my friend. Do you have any food allergies, we should know about?" Rachel asked.

"No, I fink I kay," he said honestly.

"Alright," Rachel said kindly and she set the salad on the table along with three different types of dressings.

"You should!" Santana's hissed.

"You stop!" Rachel scolded her.

"Dinner!" Quinn announced.

"Okay my loves, let's go to the table please. Do either of you want help?" Kurt asked.

"I do it Papa. Noah, you crawls wif me. "Ho'd me hewe," she said taking his hand and putting it on her calf. "I go s'ow for you, so you learn da house," she told him. "I tells you stuff as we go," she said.

"No, not yet pee," he told her.

"How you learn?" she asked him curious.

"I gonna count. Mark by count," he told her and she looked to Kurt for help. She didn't understand.

"Try baby girl. Let Noah follow you, and he'll count how he needs to and when we sit down to dinner, he can explain it better," Kurt told her. She nodded and set herself to crawl. She crawled to the table and as he kept one hand on her calf to stay with her Santana was oddly reminded of elephants. She decided to keep that bit of information to herself though. That would probably trigger a great deal of turmoil.

"Kay, dis you seat," she told him, putting his hand forward on the leg of the chair.

"Do you want help standing Noah?" Santana asked.

"Eh pee," he said and Santana got behind him and helped him to stand up and then sit down. "T'ank you Tana," he smiled.

"Anytime buddy," Santana smiled and then she moved to help Marley.

"Mar-ree," Noah started. "It fuh-ty two craw' to here from dere," he said pointing in the direction they had just come from. His knees moved forty two times. Twenty one on each side, and so he knew, from his seat, down to the floor, it would be forty two crawls back to the living room area, with the couch, television and Marley's toys. It was sixty crawls from the living room to the bathroom, and seventy five crawls from the living room to the bedroom.

"Pretty soon buddy, you won't need to count crawls anymore. I will schedule your surgery as soon as possible, we'll get your eyes all fixed, and then you'll be able to see much better," Quinn told him, taking a seat on his left. Marley was on his right and Santana was on Marley's right. The mom's were close to their babies, in case their help was required. Rachel and Kurt served up hot dogs, macaroni salad, and potato chips and the family sat down to eat.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE answer the poll!<strong>

**I am currently conducting a poll. It's not a fancy schmancy thing, because I don't know how to do that, so please leave a review to answer the polling question. I am working on a new story. It will be rated M and I'm telling you now that I honestly think M might not be high enough, but as this site does give higher ratings, M it is. The story is Faberritana Centric. I feel as this category is wrong, but since I have no other description for it, we're going with 100% CONSENSUAL SEXUAL age play. Anyone involved in it, has 100% agreed to it. For the most part. All the nonconsensual stuff is just touched upon lightly. Much like with Marley and this story. The poll is as follows:**

**YES - I want to read it**

**I'll give it a shot but I make no promises**

**NO WAY - I can't stomach it at all.**

**So there are you options, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you think. I feel that my style from Baby Steps to the new story hasn't changed so expect the same type of pace and language.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hello Everyone,**

**I hope you all had a wonderful week. It's Sunday! Two orders of business today, first the update, secondly another poll/description.**

**WARNINGS: Major Fluff in this chapter. Noah has one memory, that MAY trigger issues for some of you, so just be careful as you read about his memory.**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it.**

**Secondly - ****8 days ago I had put up a poll about a new CONSENSUAL SEXUAL age play story and the majority of you said yes I'll read, or I'll give it a shot. No one said no, so that made my day - Thanks for that, :) ****Then a good friend pointed something out to me and I realized I need to tell you all a little bit more, in the full realization that a good number of you may say, yeah, not happening.**

**Here's a MUCH more DETAILED description of what's going to happen. Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and eventually Rachel are PETS to Will & Shelby, a MARRIED Master/Mistress couple. The girls themselves are not babies, but when they get overwhelmed or scared, or act extremely bratty (something they've all done so far in what I have written), then they are, by some standards, babied a little bit. Now this is the CRAZY IMPORTANT PART. THERE WILL NEVER BE A TIME WHEN WILL HAS HIS GENITALS INSIDE THOSE OF THE GIRLS (other than Shelby), NEVER NEVER NEVER. The girls call them Mama and Daddy(age play part), AT TIMES, and it will be explained why in the story (I can't give it all away now). There are going to be a great deal of original characters, and some of them will be true age players, little boys or girls with Mamas or Daddies, or both sometimes. **

**I'm also toying with a character "cheat sheet" post - almost as a prologue, so that as you read, you can refer back to it and keep them all straight. That all being said, here is the poll again, with the same options.**

**YES - I want to read it**

**I'll give it a shot but I make no promises**

**NO WAY - I can't stomach it at all.**

**So there are your options, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you think. **

**Everyone be well and happy reading! :)**

* * *

><p>"NO NO NO!" Marley screamed in the bathroom, the following evening. The day had gone pretty smoothly. She did any exercise Santana asked her to do. She was thrilled that Mr. Joe wasn't going to be coming for therapy lessons for an entire week, and she spent the morning helping Noah count his crawls around the house, so he knew where he would be going on his own. The two of them were getting on very well together. The problem was that now, Marley had to brush her teeth on her own and she was terrified.<p>

"Marley, you do not scream at Mommy. You know better," Santana warned her.

"I not do it!" she complained. She was going to topple forward and bash her head into the faucet when she spit out, she knew it. No one else seemed to care though. The difference was, Marley knew what she thought would happen and while she trusted a great number of things now, her own body was not one of them. In her mind, she was going to knock herself out because she fell into the sink, or her ribs would break from falling down. She could stand on her own, that was fine, but to bend over on her own. That wasn't happening, at least not successfully, at least not in her mind, so she screamed her frustrations.

"Marley Rose, Mommy said enough!" Santana said seriously.

Noah visibly jumped at Santana's sharp tone and Quinn took his hand kindly. "She's okay bud, she's just being stubborn," Quinn assured him.

"Wha' her fade of?" he asked.

"Marley doesn't trust her own body, so when she's given a new task, this is how she reacts. She did this when we told her she had to start crawling. She did this when we told her she had to start sitting up on her own and she did this when she started her balance work. Anytime Marley is pushed out of her comfort zone, she panics and has a tantrum like this," Kurt told him kindly.

"Papa," Noah said after a moment. "You mad?" he asked him.

"At Marley?" No, not at all. Marley had a lot of scary things happen to her, so I understand why she's freaking out. I would prefer if she didn't scream at Santana, but no I'm not mad."

"You mad at me?" Noah asked.

"Should I be?" Kurt teased him and Noah heard the playful tone in his voice.

"Are you scared about something Noah?" Quinn asked kindly sensing that he was starting to regress. He was asking questions and in her experience, most little ones were full of questions because something was going on that they couldn't quite understand and they wanted to.

"Um, b'ock pee," he said, not knowing there they were in relation to him. Quinn nodded, gathered all the blocks and made the two rows for him. A through M and N through Z.

"Come on love," she said. "Come with with me, in my lap. You can do all your spelling from the safety of my arms," Quinn assured him and he heard that sweet, gentle, mothering tone. He'd heard that same tone from Santana when she talked to Marley. There was a safety factor to it, that he trusted immediately.

He actually liked the sound of that. To be wanted and cuddled and loved. Those were great things, things he wasn't sure he'd ever had before. He knew he didn't get them from Terri and he was fairly sure that his own parents never gave him that. They managed to keep him alive, but true love and compassion throughout his life, that he hadn't experienced. "T'ank you Mommy," he told her.

"You're very welcome buddy," she smiled as she settled him in her lap and kissed his cheek gently. "Can you reach?" she asked him.

He nodded and pulled all the blocks forward that he needed. S..U..R..G..E..R..Y Kurt moved closer and read the blocks. "Yes you're going to be having surgery on your eyes pretty soon. Then you can stop wearing that patch over your left eye and you'll be able to see fully out of the right eye," Kurt said kindly and Noah nodded. He was looking forward to that part.

"Mommy," he said softly, pulling Quinn's arms tighter around him and lacing his fingers through hers. Kurt had noticed that was his thing. When something was very stressful or very important he would lace fingers together. Marley would rest her head on someone's shoulder. "Mommy. I ra'mem'ba some-fin," he said slowly.

"That's good buddy. What do you remember?" she asked him.

"Be't," he said. "I ra'mem'ba dat Terri had a be't an one time I 'keem very 'oud an' her hit me wif it," he said.

Quinn snuggled him closer and rubbed his back kindly. Do you remember why you screamed very loud?" she asked him.

"Um," he said thinking for a minute. He could probably say the words, but he didn't want to. "Terri an' me...out...on wa'k," he said and then he reached for the blocks. E..X..E..R..C..I..S..E he spelled for her. He waited a minute before speaking again. "PIty gir'," he said softly. "Mya at me. Terri mad, no 'ike," he said. Quinn and Kurt weren't sure if they could hear the rest of this story. Quinn felt like she was sitting on pins and needles and Kurt knew exactly how detailed and horrific this story could get. Terri was a sadistic monster with a very seriously mental issue.

"Take your time Noah. There is no rush. You can tell us, whatever you want, whenever you want, and if you ever think we are mad, it is most definitely not at you. We are mad at Terri for doing things to you," Quinn assured him. She had to be Mom. She had to step up and do the job Beth intended her to do and the one Noah needed her to do.

"Terri 'ay, I too pity, an onwy gir' pity. Dat make me," he said pausing for a moment. There were not enough S's in the set of blocks, so he tried something else. "Gir' I um, di' gir'," he said handing her the S block.

"S girl?" Quinn asked. He nodded and Quinn let out a soft sigh. She didn't know what he meant, so he thought for a moment and tried again. He took the S back and put it on the floor. He placed the I next to it. He then moved the S around to the other side of the I, waited a beat, pushed it just a little further away, and then pulled out the Y block. "Noah, you are not a Sissy Girl," Quinn said. Not even Marley is a Sissy Girl. Terri is very wrong," Quinn assured him.

"Terry 'ay dat wo'd, den her tug hewe," he said lightly covering his hand over his crotch. "Daz why I 'keem very 'oud," he told her.

"Anyone would scream loud about that buddy," Quinn said. She'd seen his genitals first hand every time he'd gone to the bathroom. He needed help and he was perfectly okay with that. He was convinced that Terri had ripped off his penis completely, because he didn't really feel it there any more. What he didn't know was that it was blue and purple and swollen to twice it's size, but with all the shocks she gave him, he didn't have a lot of feeling down there anymore. He still had working nerves in his bladder, but that was it.

Marley let out a scream in the other room and Noah stiffened up. "Be't," he said. "I keem an' den da be't. No be't for Mar-ree," he said sadly. Marley screamed again and Santana called for back up. She wanted someone else there, in case Marley passed out again.

Quinn took a deep breath and kissed his cheek. "Noah buddy. Who is sitting in front of you?" she asked him.

"Papa," he said with a soft smile.

"Very good," she praised. "Will you go sit with Papa for a little while. I'm going to see if I can help Santana and Marley and I promise you there will be no use of a belt. Not ever," she assured him.

"Kay," he agreed softly and he went to sit with Kurt.

"Marley has some legos bud, should we try playing with those?" Kurt offered and he took him over to where the legos were while Quinn went into the bathroom.

Quinn took a deep breath and tried to get into her role of Auntie Quinn. The one from the club. She had to be maternal and caring and only humiliate the little one if they wanted it. Most of them did, because that was what they were into and since she was getting paid a very good price from them, she wasn't about to judge. Some didn't though. Some were like Marley. Some needed to throw their tantrums, get it out of their system and be coaxed carefully into doing whatever the task was. Usually at work it was nap time, or clean up time. This was brush your teeth time and she could hear that Santana was at the end of her rope.

She got closer, knocked on the edge of the door and smiled inside. Marley was standing at the sink, tears pouring down her face, nose red and running a bit, eyes red and swollen from crying, and Santana was sitting on the toilet, trying to remain calm and still, but Quinn could see her struggling. Marley was her baby girl and it was taking every ounce of control she had to stay calm. She was getting pretty close to not so calm though and Quinn just looked at her. "May I try?" she asked. Santana said nothing, she simply gestured and Quinn stepped a bit closer, grabbing a few tissue from the box. "What is all this fuss I hear?" she asked her gently as she helped Marley clean her face a bit. "Why is Auntie Quinn's lady bug screaming so loud and making a lot of noise?" she asked kindly.

Marley allowed herself to be cleaned up and then hugged Quinn as tightly as she could. Santana's heart almost split in two and part of her wanted to leave. She had to remind herself that it was okay that she couldn't do this on her own, but she had to stay, because the second she left, Marley was going to lose her mind. Santana had seen it time and time again and even though she wasn't holding her, she could see the tension in Marley's body. "Are you giving Mommy a hard time?" Quinn asked her gently, while kissing her temple and rubbing her back. Marley whimpered, but nodded yes, and trembled slightly. "Does Mommy want you to eat soap for saying bad words?" Quinn asked her and Marley shook her head no. Quinn was trying to think of a way to lighten the mood and that hadn't worked so she tried again. "I know, Mommy wants you to climb into the tub and she going to give you a bath and you're concerned you'll slip down the drain and have some crazy magical water adventure," Quinn said and Santana forced herself not to laugh. Quinn sounded ridiculous. Quinn ignored her though. She had to sound that way. She had to get Marley in the right head space so she could communicate properly. Marley again shook her head no. "Hmmm, does she want to use her special Mommy powers on you and turn you into a kangaroo so you can go hopping all over town?" she asked and Marley finally giggled softly and Quinn felt her body flood with relief. She was getting closer and the trembling was slowing down. "Does she want to just give you a bath maybe?" Quinn asked.

"No, I gotta bus my teeth," she said sadly.

"Brush your teeth? That's it? Are you sure? You sounded so scared," Quinn said kindly. "Does brushing your teeth scare you?" she asked.

"No, Mommy no he'p," she cried.

Santana rolled her eyes. She had helped. There on the countertop was Marley's Tinkerbell toothbrush and some pink glittery toothpaste, neatly squeezed out on top. She just couldn't brush her teeth for her. It was Joe's new rule and Santana had to stick to it. "Okay," Quinn said softly. "Well then you did a really good job of putting your toothbrush and toothpaste together. Auntie Quinn is very proud of you," she said and Marley whimpered.

"Mommy did dat," she said falling into Quinn and crying. At least she was honest. Marley never took credit for something she didn't do. She wasn't about to start doing that now.

"Shhh, oh, I'm sorry. Then Mommy did a good job. It looks just like in a commercial," Quinn said and Santana smiled.

"Need he'p. Faww down!" Marley whimpered.

"Shhh, use more words for Auntie please," Quinn said kindly. Marley shook her head no and Quinn sighed and looked to Santana. The smirk on her face said I told you so, in big capital letters, with several exclamation points on the end of it. The scowl on Quinn's face said fuck off. "What if Auntie Quinn helps you," Quinn offered and Santana cleared her throat, narrowing her eyes. Quinn shot her a look that said trust me and Santana very impatiently sat on the toilet and watched, ready to yell at Quinn any second for violating Joe's new rule.

Marley nodded and simply cried for her Mommy. She wanted Santana to help her, hold her and she felt like Santana was done with her. "Shhh, I'm right here baby girl. Mommy hasn't left. I told you I would stay with you, until you brushed your teeth and I will," Santana told her gently.

"There, see? Mommy's still here and now Auntie Quinn is here and we'll both help you carefully," she said. She knew what the rule was, so she had to think quick on her feet. Marley was more in the baby world than she was the real world, so Quinn decided to use that to her advantage. "You know what. I don't want to brush teeth right now," she said and Marley seemed relieved. "Auntie wants to play a game. Can my lady bug point to her eyes?" she asked and Marley did so. "Very good baby girl. What about your teeth, show me your teeth?" Quinn asked and Marley gave her a sad smile. "What about Mommy, let's see, can you point to Mommy's belly?" she asked and Marley did so. The bathroom was tiny, so they were close. "Wanna see what happens when Auntie touches Mommy's belly?" she asked and Marley nodded.

Quinn reached out and put her hand to Santana's stomach and then tickled her in the one place that only she seemed to know about and Santana giggled and jumped. "No fair, Auntie's sneaky," she said and she leaned forward and gave Marley a kiss to her forehead.

"Do gain," Marley said softly, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder and Santana saw it happen. She slipped fully into her baby girl world and was getting ready for bed. The poor thing was exhausted. Every day was such a struggle for her and she only felt safe sleeping when she was in her younger state of mind.

"Hurry," Santana said softly and Quinn nodded.

"Marley baby, why don't you want to brush your teeth for Mommy?" Quinn asked her kindly.

"Faww down. Owie. Get duck," she said.

"Because the last time that our beautiful baby girl tried to go potty on her own, lots of scary things happened in here huh?" Quinn asked her, understanding almost immediately what was wrong. Marley nodded and Quinn looked at Santana, with that classic, told you so, look on her face. "But guess what. Mommy and Auntie Quinn are both here now and we can help you a little bit and nothing bad or painful is going to happen to you, and I promise you, that if you try and you do a good job right now. Tomorrow Auntie Quinn will take you to ride the horsie at work," she said.

"Ney ney?" Marley asked softly.

"Yes," Santana smiled and she reached out to brush Marley's hair away from her eyes. "You have to do everything Mommy and Auntie Quinn say and brush your teeth right now and then tomorrow you can go to work and ride on Ney ney, I promise," Santana told her. It took some time, but Marley agreed.

Quinn lead her back over to the sink and Santana stood up. They each put a hand on her lower back and one on the front of her shoulder, giving them better leverage. Her feet were flat on the floor. "Okay lady bug, just pick up your toothbrush and brush your teeth. Put your other hand here on the sink. Mommy and I won't let go for right now," Quinn told her. Marley's knees were giving out on her and they both knew she was going to need some support. Marley whimpered but did as told and was lavished with praise the entire time.

She had a good foam going and Santana spoke kindly. "Push this foot back and then bend forward. You're holding the sink, and you have very strong arms, so you won't fall down, I promise you," she assured her.

As if she were going to sit in a very lopsided chair, Marley pushed her right foot back in a lunge position, pushed her hips backward toward the wall, and spit out the toothpaste. At this point Santana and Quinn had both moved their hands off of her and Marley was officially supporting herself. She very painfully stood up, using her arms to get her straight, all on her own and then she looked at Santana sadly, before bursting into tears. She'd given such a fuss and she was so scared, but she'd been able to do it. She hated herself for not trusting Santana and she was sure that Santana was pretty tired of Marley not trusting her as well. "Mommy," she wailed. "Mommy I sowwy!" she cried.

Santana decided that Joe's rule could go out the window for tonight. She picked up the toothbrush and finished helping Marley brush her teeth. She got her to rinse and spit and even gargle with some listerine, before taking her in her arms and cooing softly to her, waiting for her to calm down. Quinn decided to give them private time. "Hey," Santana said kindly. "Thank you," she told her as she started out of the room.

"That's why I went for Auntie," Quinn smiled. "Miss Rivers," she winked and then she left the room, leaving mother and daughter alone. It was clearly needed.

* * *

><p>The next day, Marley and Noah sat next to each other at the table and carefully worked to feed each other. They were each other's support system. They knew how traumatized the other was, to a certain degree, and that bond had been formed the minute Noah sang that horrific song.<p>

"Marley baby, you need to eat everything okay?" Santana said kindly as she stood at the counter top, eating her bagel with cream cheese and drinking her coffee.

"Yes Mommy," Marley said softly and she looked at Noah.

"I feed you," he bargained and she grinned at him. "You wan t'ain?" he asked and she giggled, nodding excitedly, softly saying yes, in case he couldn't see her. "Kay, Open up," he said and he pulled the spoon back. "Two, two," he said and made train noises for her, feeding her the oatmeal one bite at a time.

After four bites this way, Santana spoke up kindly. "Hey Mr. Train Engineer. I'd like you to eat too please," Santana said noticing that he wasn't eating. She'd given them each a small enough bowl, that she knew they could absolutely finish with no problem.

"I do it?" Marley asked. He nodded and she carefully made train noises for him to repay the favor. He took the first bite and froze. Something was lumpy on his tongue and tasted strange to him. He didn't want to spit it out because he didn't want to be punished, but he didn't want to swallow it either. He looked afraid and Marley picked up on it immediately.

"Mommy," she called and Santana walked over. She saw the panic as well and was prepared to say and do whatever was needed in order to prevent a melt down. "Mommy, Noah s'ared," she told her, sounding very much like a big sister, talking for her baby brother.

"I'm here buddy, what's going on?" Santana asked him gently walking over and moving to his right side so she could be seen. "You're okay Noah, what's going on?" she asked him and he sort of froze.

"Wha' i' i'," he managed pointing to the bowl of oatmeal. There was some new texture on his tongue and he was afraid. "It's just strawberries and brown sugar, to help with the taste. Sometimes by itself, oatmeal is very bitter," Santana said.

"Is Noah," Marley told him. "Here, I eat it. You sees me? I shows you," she told him and he nodded, and he still hadn't swallowed. The small bit of strawberry sat on his tongue as he watched Marley. She fished it out on the spoon and sucked off the oatmeal covering it, so he could truly see it. "You move it, so you sees it," she said not letting go of his hand. He moved it carefully far to the right and saw it was a piece of strawberry. "Kay, you turn to sees me," she told him and he did so and then she ate the strawberry piece. Noah gave a brief nod and then swallowed the piece in his mouth.

"T'ank you," he said politely and Santana smiled. She gave each of them a kiss, a little bit of praise for eating so well, and then moved back to the counter, letting them have their alone time together. Watching them bond, was pretty adorable.

They continued their game of train, feeding each other and laughing and Quinn began to realize they were simply playing and probably wasting time. "Are we not stopping this?" Quinn asked Santana softly so she didn't disturb them.

"They're eating, I'm happy," Santana said. "Are you still taking my little girl to work with you?" she asked.

"That depends. What are you going to do for me?" Quinn teased.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Santana smiled, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Okay my loves, a little more eating and a little less playing please," she said turning to see they were now just playing. "I actually need to go shopping for Marley though. Her birthday is in a couple of days and I want to get her something special," she said.

"Do you want to do it while I take them to work?"

"By yourself?" Santana asked. "Babe, I know it's New York, but one melt down from either of them, and you will have the next reality tv show," Santana said.

Quinn rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're a reality tv show I think sometimes," she said.

"You need to work on your comebacks," Santana said and she reached over and brushed some cream cheese off of Quinn's lip, and Quinn grabbed Santana's finger put it in her mouth and sucked slowly, their eyes never leaving each other and a smile playing at Quinn's mouth as her tongue tickled Santana's finger. Neither of them noticed that Rachel was awake and standing in the doorway watching the kids, but very slowly and cautiously her eyes drifted to the adults and realization hit her full force. She quietly snuck away and then went into Kurt's bedroom and crawled into bed next to him.

"Wake up lazy bones. You are missing cute and flirtatious and I think a possible romance," she said softly, gently running her finger down the bridge of his nose, to help wake him.

"Stop being 'noying," he whined softly batting her away and pulling the covers over his head. She rolled her eyes and carefully climbed on top of him.

"I think that Quinn and Santana are hot for each other," she whispered into his ear through the blanket and that definitely got his attention.

"Since when?" he asked not moving.

"I don't know, but if you don't come watch, you won't see it!" she scolded him. "Come on, get up," she urged.

He sleepily got up out of bed and went to the door. Santana and Quinn had miles between them, but Noah and Marley were still feeding each other and Kurt noticed something that Rachel hadn't. The budding romance was not the moms, it was the kids. Marley had a little bit of food on her face, which normally would send her into a screaming fit and terrify her, but she was happy and laughing. "Now that view was totally worth you disturbing my sleep," he said.

Rachel nodded and wrapped herself around Kurt, enjoying the feeling. "I love them both so much. I don't ever want them to leave, and at the same time, I want everyone out, because this house is getting too small," she sighed.

"We'll figure something out soon," he told her kindly. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed," he said and he crawled back under his covers in his bedroom and Rachel decided that she was going to get ready for her day.

"Mama!" Marley cried happily when she saw her walk by. "Good morning baby girl," she said kissing the top of her head. "And a baby boy perhaps?" Rachel asked him.

"Um, okay," he said after a moment of thought. It was nice to be loved so much. It almost made up for what he hadn't gotten over the past seventeen years. She kissed the top of his head and moved to the counter where Quinn had a bagel and cream cheese waiting for her.

"You have loud feet," Quinn teased her. Rachel shrugged and ate her bagel watching Marley and Noah play with each other some more before turning toward Santana to point out something that she didn't think Santana noticed.

"How long have they been at it, and do you know Marley has food on her face?" Rachel asked kindly.

Santana turned in shock to see her little girl who indeed had a very messy face at the moment, but instead of screaming like a banshee, she was laughing like a hyena, and probably about to give herself hiccups. "They've been 'feeding' each other for twenty minutes now," she said and looked over to see, most of the bowl gone. It was nice to see them smiling and eating.

"Alright my loves. Are you done eating?" Quinn asked kindly as she finished her bagel.

"Auntie, you come play too?" Marley asked. Marley was still hungry, which was fine, they would let her eat as much as she wanted. Noah indicated that he was hungry too though, but feeding each other, as fun and silly as it was, it was messy and tiring. He wanted to eat, but he didn't think he had the strength to feed himself. He really hoped that Quinn would agree to feed them. He couldn't believe how tired he was.

"I'll come play. Does that mean Auntie is the train engineer now?" Quinn asked and Marley giggled, covering her face, and her hand touched the mess, moving it from one place to the other. She looked concerned, her entire body going tense. "Here," Quinn said kindly and she handed them both a napkin. "Clean up some and then I'll help you eat some more," she told them.

Rachel leaned over to Santana and spoke softly. "Do you want Kurt and I to watch the kids, while you and Quinn go on a date?" she asked earning herself a playful smack to her hip and she laughed. "Well it's not like you and I were ever going to get together. We hate each other," she said and Santana rolled her eyes, leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"I don't hate you. I can't stand you sometimes, but I don't hate you. There's a difference," she said and Rachel gave a kind smile.

"You should, you know," she said. "See where it goes. See what happens. You might create your own little unique family if it's successful," Rachel said.

"Or I might break two hearts when she and I come to blows," Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Marley is my baby girl, that will never change. Noah has come into the picture now and she likes him. They have something in common. They understand each other, but he isn't 'mine', he 'belongs' to Quinn. If Quinn and I tried, and it didn't work out, we wouldn't be able to live together and those two, they would be crushed. I can't do that to them," she said.

Rachel smiled, leaned over and wrapped Santana in a tight hug. "You're a good Mommy, and so is Quinn, and I don't think either of you would do anything to purposefully jeopardize the safety and well being of your little ones. I'm just saying have some fun okay?" Rachel said and she kissed her cheek, released the hug and poured herself some coffee.

Santana turned a bit and watched the breakfast table. Quinn was seated between them, feeding both of them their breakfast, cooing softly, and lavishing both of them with praise. She looked drop dead gorgeous too. To see her so maternal with these "kids" it was a huge turn on for Santana. "Yeah," she thought to herself. "Fun."

* * *

><p>Breakfast had been a relatively easy ordeal, which everyone was grateful for. Kurt was getting ready to leave and Rachel was sorting out laundry. Quinn and Santana were in the bedroom, getting ready for work, at least that's what they said, and Noah and Marley were playing with Simon on the floor. Rachel continued to fold the laundry and smiled as Kurt came out of his room. "You look very professional," she teased when he emerged in pajama pants, a beat up t-shirt, and a ball cap, announcing that he was headed to work.<p>

"Call backs. Voice over. I get to wear anything I want. You should get into this. It's fabulous," he said happily.

"You leave Papa?" Marley asked sadly, taking her eyes off of the simon toy and it buzzed her for taking too long.

"Mar-ree," Noah whined. He had been really into the game.

"Only for a little while baby girl. I'll be back by lunch," he said and Rachel shook her head no. "No what?" Kurt asked her and both little ones looked up at Rachel.

"Santana and Quinn both have an appointment at the club. I have rehearsal at three today. They will be at work with their Mommies," she said and Marley pouted heavier and crawled over to Kurt.

She grabbed onto Kurt's hand from the floor, pushed herself up to her knees, and then used his body to pull herself up to standing. She was getting better at it and only needed minimal help now. "Oh, my baby girl," he said pulling her into his arms and giving her a hug. "I'll see you at dinner then," he assured her.

"You promise?" she asked him softly.

"I double extra promise," he told her and she giggled. "I also promise, that if I am delayed for any reason I will send a text to Mommy, okay?" he asked and she nodded, not quite ready to let go of the hug yet.

Rachel watched from afar and folded two more pieces of laundry and then smiled. "Marley baby, come help Mama fold towels please? You and Noah can both help and when we're done with that, we can have a fudge pop," she said. The mention of chocolate got Noah's attention and he nodded happily.

"Go on love. Help Mama and then fudge pop," he told her. She nodded, sunk back down to the floor and crawled back toward Rachel. "Noah buddy, you have a good day!" Kurt called kindly to him and Noah gave a smile and wave in the general direction. Marley smiled and moved his hand for him, so he was waving at Kurt and not the kitchen window.

He left and Rachel finished folding towels with help from Marley and Noah. "Okay my loves, everyone to the table for fudge pops," she said.

"You have one too Mama?" Marley asked.

"Yes, I will have one too," Rachel said.

"Wait. Where am I?" Noah asked kindly.

"Oh, here," Marley said, and she took his hand and had him crawl so that he was next to the couch. She pet the side of his face and ran her hand down his cheek, his shoulder, his arm, and then his hand. She carefully took his hand and moved it toward his left. "Coffee table," she said. Then she moved it in front of him, "wall", and then she moved it over to the right, "couch," she told him. "Mama where we eat?" she asked.

"At the table," Rachel said kindly and Marley nodded.

"Kay, you crawls there on you self, or follows me," she told him and he smiled. She was having fun, but the way she touched him. It felt so good and his heart puddled every time she did. He wondered if this was what love was, but since he wasn't sure, he didn't say anything. He also didn't want to be a creep. He would hold her hand forever if he could.

"Can we go togevah?" he asked.

"Okay," she said happily and Rachel watched the two crawl over to the kitchen table for their fudge pops.

Once they were both seated and Rachel had opened pops for them, the third bedroom door opened to reveal Santana and Quinn in their work clothes and their cover up clothes. Noah couldn't see all that well. His eye wasn't as swollen as it had been originally but it was still pretty gruesome, so he couldn't see anything other than blurs of color. Marley however could see quite well and she still wasn't ready to learn what Santana did. Santana was not comfortable explaining to her little girl, that Mommy was the one who caused pain to people, because that was what they asked for.

"And there they are," Rachel smiled. "Have fun?" she smirked.

"No, we didn't "have fun", we got ready for work," Santana said and Quinn raised an eyebrow. Apparently she'd missed the "have fun" memo and what it meant.

"Mommy look!" Marley said proudly showing off her fudge pop.

"I see," Santana smiled. "That was really nice of Mama to pump you full of sugar before sending you off to be with Nanny Susan," Santana sighed. Rachel simply gave a playful smile. "You and Noah finish your fudge pops and then we'll head to work okay?" she asked her and Marley gave a simple smile and nodded.

"Mommy, what we gonna do?" Noah asked Quinn kindly as he carefully offered her a bite.

"You're very thoughtful," she told him kindly and took a small bite of it. "You and Marley are going to stay with Nanny Susan in a room near the front desk, and Mommy and Auntie Tana are going to be with our clients. When we're done, we're all going to come back home," she said.

"Where Mama go?" he asked carefully and Quinn smiled.

"Mama has prac-siss, till late. Her gives us kisses when we sleepin'. Right Mama?" Marley asked and Rachel nodded.

"Yes," she said finally finding her voice and Santana shot her a questioning look, but she shook her head no. She wasn't ready to explain why she got emotional just now. She was just beyond thrilled that she had two little ones calling her Mama, mainly because it meant she'd earned their trust and that meant everything to her.

* * *

><p><strong>Again - <strong>**8 days ago I had put up a poll about a new CONSENSUAL SEXUAL age play story and the majority of you said yes I'll read, or I'll give it a shot. No one said no, so that made my day - Thanks for that, :) ****Then a good friend pointed something out to me and I realized I need to tell you all a little bit more, in the full realization that a good number of you may say, yeah, not happening.**

**Here's a MUCH more DETAILED description of what's going to happen. Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and eventually Rachel are PETS to Will & Shelby, a MARRIED Master/Mistress couple. The girls themselves are not babies, but when they get overwhelmed or scared, or act extremely bratty (something they've all done so far in what I have written), then they are, by some standards, babied a little bit. Now this is the CRAZY IMPORTANT PART. THERE WILL NEVER BE A TIME WHEN WILL HAS HIS GENITALS INSIDE THOSE OF THE GIRLS (other than Shelby), NEVER NEVER NEVER. The girls call them Mama and Daddy(age play part), AT TIMES, and it will be explained why in the story (I can't give it all away now). There are going to be a great deal of original characters, and some of them will be true age players, little boys or girls with Mamas or Daddies, or both sometimes. **

**I'm also toying with a character "cheat sheet" post - almost as a prologue, so that as you read, you can refer back to it and keep them all straight. That all being said, here is the poll again, with the same options.**

**YES - I want to read it**

**I'll give it a shot but I make no promises**

**NO WAY - I can't stomach it at all.**

**So there are your options, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you think. **


	42. Chapter 42

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you are all well. Again, life has gone insane for me this weekend, so you get a Saturday update, instead of a Sunday update.**

**Secondly, I appreciate everyone who left me feedback regarding my poll. Yes, I will be posting it, only when Baby Steps is finished though, and to answer two major questions...**

**A) I posted a poll because I wasn't sure anyone would read it at all and if they did, I thought it would get a LOT of negative feedback. Now those of you who have said you won't read it, don't have to, and I won't get as much hate reviews. I didn't know Will was so unliked. To each their own though.**

**B) Someone, well two someones, asked me why I put the warning about genitals. That was a choice, based on my own personal preference. I like age play, but I don't like sexual age play when it's a master/pet situation, and for my story it's a master/pet age play (kind of) situation. So for the people who are like me, and get squicked out by sexual age play, at least you would be warned ahead of time.**

**On to the story - Warnings for this chapter: Marley starts therapy. This is a light beginning, later chapters will be more intense. Noah also has a few moments in this story where his bruises are described in greater detail. Read with caution.**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it.**

**Be well friends**

* * *

><p>Marley cried in Santana's arms. She was terrified. She didn't know how to do this and what was more, was she didn't know why she had to. She didn't want to talk to anyone about anything. "I good, I no go Mommy. Pee," she pleaded and Santana sighed.<p>

"This isn't punishment my sweet girl. Far from it, but you need to talk to a professional. Someone who can help you figure everything out so you aren't so scared of things," she tried.

"No!" Marley cried and she hung on tight to Santana, trembling while they waited for Dr. Isabelle to come into the room. The session was going to be held at the club and when Marley heard who she was going to be talking to, she broke down. "I good!" she wailed, and that was when Isabelle chose to enter. She stood silently at the door and watched.

"Shhh, yes baby girl, you are. Marley is a very good girl. Santana's good girl, but I can't give you everything you need, so we have to get you more help," she tried and Marley continued to cry.

"No, Mommy!" she pleaded. She didn't want Santana to leave her. She didn't want to be turned away to someone else. She was trying damn it. She was doing everything she could and not getting better fast enough and because of that, she was going to have to leave.

"Santana, put her in the crib please," Isabelle said.

"What? No!" Santana said seriously and every Mama Bear instinct came rushing up to the surface.

"Would you like my help or not?" Isabelle asked firmly.

"Marley doesn't go in cribs, because Marley isn't a baby. She likes some baby things, there is a gigantic difference in that. I'm not a phsycotherapist and even I know that!"

"When she is in two separate worlds yes, there is, but right now, she is torn. She's trying to be a 'big girl' for you so you don't send her away, she wants to please you, and yet, I can see all over her face that her 'baby girl' world is where she needs to be. Please put her in the crib. As soon as she realizes that you are not leaving, then we can talk to her, but right now, she thinks you are leaving her. I want space between you. I want separation. I want her to learn and understand that you, Santana, as Mommy, are not leaving her and she's not going to get that, if you do not put her in the crib and back away," Isabelle said strongly.

Dr. Isabelle sounded a lot like Miss Beth, and if Miss Beth found out that Santana had been the one to give a hard time, she'd be spanked for sure, possibly in front of Marley. So she held her little girl close and thought for a few moments. "Is there no other way?" she asked, "because I know my Marley, very well, and I would prefer it if muscle spasms and vomiting were not involved," Santana said seriously, but tried to keep her voice kind. It was a great struggle though. Luckily for her, Dr. Isabelle recognized Santana's efforts. This was not her first rodeo.

"I'm not sending you out of the room. I'm not even sending you out of sight. You can stand in front of the crib and talk to her, and touch her through the bars and almost anything else you want, but she has to be in it and you have to be "away" from her, so to speak.

Santana let out a low growl as she thought back to the toothbrush incident. Marley had done it. Santana was 'removed' from the situation and Marley did everything she was asked to do. This was killing her though. She wanted to be the one to help her baby, but she also knew in her heart of hearts that she didn't have all the answers when it came to this. Topics of how to take care of your adult baby girl who suffered torture weren't usually covered in high school. It wasn't even covered in college. So she decided to try it. She took a deep breath and put Marley in the crib. Marley screamed but Santana simply cuddled her and kissed her cheek. "Shhh," Mommy's right here," she told her. "I'm right here and I haven't left you," she told her.

"Rails up," Isabelle said.

"She's going to lose it even more than she already has," Santana protested weakly.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. From what I see, she is at rock bottom, so the only place left to go is up," she said. Santana went to protest but Isabelle simply looked at her. "Rails up, please," she said and with a very heavy heart, Santana did as asked and Marley set to screaming. Her back locked out in spasm and she curled up tighter and Santana was twitching. She had to do what Isabelle said. The only way to get her baby better and less afraid was to go through therapy.

"Peel the onion," she said softly and slowly to herself. It didn't drown out Marley's cries, or make things magically better, but it gave her something to focus on. Onions, for the most part stunk. If all the outer skin was on, then it didn't smell so bad, but that first peel was terrible. Removing that first layer of protection, let out all the stink, and the deeper you went, the worse it got, until you fried or browned or cooked or sauteed the onion and added other things to it. Then it wasn't bad. One of her favorite soups was french onion. "And how exactly do you plan on cooking her?" Santana asked, not realizing she had gone very far into her thought process and then verbalized only a small part of it.

"I'm not cooking her," Isabelle smiled. "Have a seat in front of her, and do whatever it is you think will work, to gain her attention," Isabelle said kindly and she pulled up the little child seat next to Santana, who stood there and sang. She practically belted, just so Marley would hear her.

"Mommy!" Marley called after several moments, realizing Santana was still there.

"Get closer, let her touch you," Isabelle said kindly and Santana was right on top of the crib. Marley reached through the bars and held on for dear life. "Keep singing please," Isabelle said. "Change the song though. Make it something she can sing too. Keep it young and simple please," she told her and Santana started to sing the alphabet. She finished and Isabelle told her to sing it again. She sang it probably thirty times, while every so often Isabelle would ask Marley questions. They were very simple questions. Was she in pain? Could she see Santana? Did she understand everything going on? The biggest question was do you hear me and Marley nodded that she did. Marley nodded that because, all she knew was yes would get her out of where she was. That's how things worked. When Terri wanted Marley to do something that Marley didn't want to do, Terri kept bothering her with it until Marley finally agreed to do whatever it was and then it would be over.

"Marley, what's one plus one?" Dr. Isabelle asked and Marley nodded yes. Santana looked concerned about that but Dr. Isabelle spoke kindly. "Just remain calm Santana, I'm nearly done," Isabelle said. "Marley, do cats bark?" Marley nodded yes. "Marley are you a seven foot tall gentleman?" Marley nodded yes again.

"She can't hear you?" Santana asked in shock and realization.

"She can't hear anything," Isabelle said and Santana shook her head no. That couldn't be true. "You can get her out Santana. Hold her, cuddle her, get her to calm down, but the session isn't over, we've only just started," she said seriously. Santana all but rushed to put the rails down and Marley threw herself at her. She held on for dear life and trembled violently.

"Shhh, Mommy's here, you're okay baby. Shhh," Santana said and she soothed her over and over again, making some sense and some nonsense.

"Marley, I want you to raise your hand when you hear me," Isabelle said and Marley nodded.

"She obviously hears you now," Santana said protectively and Marley pressed her ear against Santana's chest while she continued to nod.

"Are you sure about that? She's nodding, but she's not raising her hand, and I didn't ask if she understood, I gave her a simple instruction," Isabelle said and she watched as Marley clung tighter to her 'mother', apparently trying to find something familiar. Santana regarded the situation a little more closely and sighed and then the lightbulb went off for her. "Stay calm Santana. Tell me what you just realized but continue to stay calm please,"

"We always ask her yes or no questions. None of us paid attention, I don't think. She has these melt downs every so often and we always just thought she went quiet so she could calm down, but if she went quiet, because she can't hear us, I can't even begin to imagine what we made her do when we thought she was saying yes, when she was in fact just nodding, but why is she nodding," Santana asked.

"Marley appears to be suffering from a condition called Conversion Disorder. In her case, when she gets hysterical, she essentially goes deaf."

"She's deaf?"

"No, she's not, but something so traumatic happened to her that when she gets that upset, she does "go deaf" for some time. When she calms down and the psychological threat is gone, then she hears you. I don't think you did any damage if that's what you're worried about. She clearly still wants you, based on what I see. What I have to figure out is why she thinks she'll be taken away from you," Isabelle said.

* * *

><p>Quinn and Noah were at home and Quinn decided that Noah looked much too bored. "Noah love, are you okay?" she asked him kindly.<p>

"Mar-ree," he said sadly.

"Yes, I miss Marley too. She'll be home soon, she just had to go to therapy. I promise she'll be home soon bud," Quinn told him.

"Mommy," he said softly.

"Yeah bud?" she asked him.

"When me?" he asked pointing to his eye.

"You start your therapy next week," she smiled. "Tomorrow you go for your pre-op and then next week, Mr. Darren will be coming to help you with therapy," she told him.

"What kinda t'air'pee?" he asked.

"I don't know, shall we research it together now? This way you might be a little better prepared?" she asked and he nodded his agreement. He liked the idea of knowing things before they happened. He had tried to do that when it came to Terri, but she had kidnapped him and just did whatever it was that she wanted.

Quinn smiled and took his hand gently. "Let's go sit at the computer together then," she said kindly.

"No," he said. "Bat-room," he told her softly.

"Oh, okay, do you want my help or can you go on your own?" she asked him kindly. She gave him the option every time and only once had he gone on his own. He had needed help, but didn't want to take it. He didn't want to be the boy who couldn't go to the bathroom by himself, but one shot on his own, resulted in him not being able to clean himself up very well and it left him, sore and uncomfortable, so every time after that, he took Quinn with him. He liked that she talked to him. He liked that she asked him questions, basic ones, while she helped him clean up and never commented about how his body looked. She was always calm and relaxed around him.

"He'p pee," he said.

"Alright," she said kindly. "I'm going to move behind you and guide you that way," she told him and he nodded. He put his arms out in front of him slightly, palms down, leaving just enough space for Quinn to slip her arms around his body and lace their fingers together. He smiled when he felt her and then gripped her fingers a little bit tighter. He loved how careful she was with him.

She lead him into the bathroom and had him hold on to the sink. "Who undoes your pants buddy?"

"Um, you," he told her. He was feeling a little bit weak today. He and Marley had been moving around a lot during the morning and it made him tired enough to want to lay down and rest for a few hours.

"I can do that," she said. "Okay love, buttons first," she said undoing it, "then the zipper," she said sliding it down, "and now we slip down your pants," she said and they sort of fell down, pooling around his ankles. "My hands on your hips buddy," she told him kindly.

"Yes Mommy," he said softly.

"Are you sure buddy?" she asked him. It was a question with double meaning. She hadn't been expecting to be Mommy to him. He had said he didn't go see Terri for that, where as Marley had. It was also Quinn checking to make sure that he was prepared for her to touch him. She didn't want to do anything without his knowledge. He'd had enough of someone else taking control of his life.

"Yes Mommy," he said again and she nodded.

"Okay, underwear coming down and then you just have to sit back to sit on the toilet." He nodded and waited for her hands to slip down to his knees. Once he felt that, then he knew he could sit down. He sat down and pushed his penis into the bowl, so that he didn't pee all over her. Quinn had to hold her breath. It was a sight that she would never get used to. His genitals were just so purple and swollen and she couldn't imagine how he wasn't in pain. He sat for a while and Quinn waited patiently in front of him. She was going to ask him something, but he beat her to it.

"Mommy?" he asked.

"What's up bud?"

"Mar-ree ta'k bow c'eme," he told her.

"Yes, Marley talks about the aloe cream that she used to use all the time," Quinn said.

"Can I?" he asked softly.

"Absolutely. If you think you're ready for aloe cream on your cheeks, we can gently rub some in and in a few days no more bruises at all. Rachel says that the aloe works miracles," Quinn said.

"Mama," he smiled.

"Noah buddy, can Mommy ask you a question?"

"Yeh," he said after a moment.

"Do you remember in the hospital when you and Marley were talking about how you went to see Terri?" He nodded. "I remember Marley asking you, if you wanted to be someone's little boy and you said no, do you remember that?" He nodded again, looking fearful. "Shhh, no bud, just relax. You're okay," she assured him. "Mommy is just curious why you told Marley no, but you call me Mommy and Kurt Papa and so on," she said kindly and he heard it. Her voice was calm, there was absolutely no judgement in her voice, she was simply curious.

"I neh-va had a good Mommy. No one nye to me. Dad gone one day. Mom g'ink, a wot!" he explained. "Den Terri, more bad fings, an' den I meet Mar-ree an you an Mama, Aunt Tana an Papa. Mar-ree, um, I no aye it," he told her.

"That's okay bud, can you spell it maybe?" she asked.

"T...R...U..." he said and then he made the sound of an F. F's were easy. S's were not. They took too much work for his tongue and his mouth, while healed, was still pretty sore. "T you," he explained.

"Trusts, yes, Marley does trust us," Quinn smiled.

"Dat mean I can too," he said.

"Well that's good logic, thank you for sharing with me. Let me know when you're done and I will help you clean up and then if you still want it, we'll get the aloe for you," she told him and he nodded. She was about to continue conversation to keep him occupied, but he was opening up and talking a bit more.

"Mommy?" he asked. "Why Mar-ree fi-ah?" he asked.

"Well, Marley likes being a baby girl and most baby girls use pacifiers. Not all of them, but some. But for Marley there is another reason. Terri did some mental damage to her. I don't know the specifics, because Marley hasn't shared yet, but Terri gave her a lot of vinegar and it dried out all the delicate tissue in her mouth. Marley's speech therapist did a lot of research and it was determined that a pacifier would help Marley. if she sucked on it, she would have natural lubrication and help heal her mouth, and it worked."

"Her 'ike baby talk?" he asked.

"She does. Marley likes being our baby girl, but you've heard her be a big girl too right?" Quinn asked kindly and he nodded. "So it's just because she likes it, her mouth is healed and now she only uses a pacifier when she wants to, and I think it's usually for comfort," Quinn said.

"Do I need one?" he asked.

"I don't think you need one for therapy purposes, but if you want one, I will help you get one, and I know that everyone in this house will be okay with that. It is your choice as always buddy, I promise," she told him.

"I fink bow it more," he said honestly. "An Mommy, I done," he told her and she smiled.

"I think it's good that you want to think about it some more, and thank you for telling me. I'll grab some toilet paper. You carefully stand up and I will help clean you up," she told him.

"I he'p?" he asked.

"You can help if you want to. Here. I will give you the toilet paper and you can clean yourself," she said and he nodded. The second he touched himself though, he froze. It all felt so big, and yet he couldn't feel it and it scared him. He felt something in his hands, but he should be feeling it in his genitals too and he couldn't. There was no feeling at all and he couldn't help it. He started to cry. "Shhh, it's okay buddy, you're doing great," Quinn said, but Noah could handle no more. He broke down into open mouth wailing. His body felt gone to him. He felt as though he had no control anymore at all over anything and that emotional feeling, caused him to relive every physical painful feeling Terri had ever created for him. "Okay, okay, shhh, you're okay baby," Quinn said gently. She helped Noah finish cleaning up and he screamed in fear. He was currently like Marley, stuck away in his head and wasn't coming back to her anytime soon. She managed to carefully get his underwear into place and was grateful that they were alone. Very carefully, she half carried him into the other room and sat down on the couch. She held him close to her chest and kissed the top of his head repeatedly. "Shhh, you're okay Noah, Mommy's here, you're safe," she assured him. It was all she could do at the moment.

* * *

><p>"Mommy," Marley whimpered.<p>

"Yes baby, Mommy's here," Santana said. They were seated in the rocking chair together and Marley was trying to curl up on Santana's lap. There were times that not only did Santana wish Marley was tinier, but sometimes, Marley wished it too. She wished she could curl up on Santana's lap sometimes and be held, the way her mother used to hold her.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered again and Santana felt her little girl get heavy in her lap.

"I'm still here sweetheart," she said gently and Isabelle watched them carefully. Santana was babying Marley, and it seemed that Marley wanted it. She was calm now, so Dr. Isabelle decided to try again.

"Marley I want you to raise your hand when you hear Dr. Isabelle talking," Dr. Isabelle told her. She didn't know how calm Marley was, and she had to gage carefully. She was convinced that Marley had conversion disorder and she had to get her calm to help her work into the reasoning. The problem was, this wasn't going to be a quick fix. She probably wasn't even going to get an answer today, but maybe, just maybe, Marley would learn something, even if the only thing she learned was Santana wasn't leaving her.

Santana rocked slowly back and forth in the chair with her little girl curling up in her lap. Marley curled into the fetal position and put her head in Santana's lap, and Santana immediately began playing with Marley's hair. "Mama gave you two tiny pig tails today," she smiled, enjoying running her fingers through Marley's silky hair. "They need another name for this huh? You're too adorable and too sweet to have a hair style called pig tails," Santana said and Marley hummed softly.

"Marley, I want you to raise your hand when you can hear me speaking," Dr. Isabelle said kindly for what must have been the millionth time and Marley raised her hand. "Very good Marley, that was excellent listening, thank you for that," Dr. Isabelle said and she glanced at the time and then at Marley. Marley was exhausted. "Marley, do you know your full name?" she asked her kindly.

"Marley Abigail Rose," she said.

"That is a very pretty name and who are you cuddled with now?"

"Mommy," she said softly.

"And what is so great about Mommy?" she asked kindly.

"Tect me," Marley yawned and she curled further into herself and Santana stopped playing with her hair. It was making her sleepy and she knew that sleep was not ideal at the moment. It was time for therapy. After therapy, Marley could sleep for hours as far as Santana was concerned, but right now she had to stay awake.

"Tell me Marley, are you ever afraid of Mommy?" she asked.

"No."

"No? Mommy never scares you, or makes you angry?" she pressed and Santana felt her go tense and she shot daggers at Dr. Isabelle. "You must trust me Santana," she said.

"Where I come from trust is earned. You freaking her out, will not earn my trust," Santana practically growled.

Doctor Isabelle nodded and thought for a moment, rephrasing the question. "Marley, why do you need Mommy so much?" she asked her and Marley looked at her with pure fear.

"No go Mommy," she said and just like that, Marley was done. She was back to her deaf state and the only reason Doctor Isabelle knew this for sure, was because Marley screamed in fear when Santana touched her and started begging for her Mommy to come back to her.

* * *

><p>Quinn was sitting with Noah on the couch, holding him close to her. They'd been quiet for an hour now and it was time to start doing more things. He could be scared, Quinn was fine with that, but they had to do. If he didn't do, he would get stuck, and she didn't want him stuck. "Come on buddy, let's do something," she said. "Come on. You and Mommy can play. What should we play? How about legos. Should we play with some legos? See who can build the highest tower?" she asked him.<p>

"Mommy, owie," he said softly.

"Where do you hurt baby?" she asked him.

"Here," he said putting his hand to his cheek.

"Should we try some aloe?" she offered and he nodded yes, and also shook his head no. "You want aloe on somewhere other than your cheek?" she asked him, taking a gamble. He again nodded and also shook his head no. "Okay baby boy, we need more words here, because Mommy is not a mind reader," she said kindly.

"Owie," he said touching his cheek and his crotch.

"You hurt in two places," she said and he nodded. "Well I'm glad you can tell me this. Do you want to try aloe in two places?" she asked him and he nodded, but little tears leaked down his cheeks. "Shhh, it's okay to be sad buddy. It's okay to be scared or afraid, or even angry about what's going on with your body. I will always let you feel what you need to feel and I will not be mad about it. However, I do have one rule. When you feel anger, and you will. You have to let me know, so that you can get your anger out in a safe place, in a safe way, alright?" she asked him and he nodded. "So the choice is yours bud, do you want to put the cream on yourself in both places, or should Mommy do it?" she offered him.

"Mommy do it," he said softly.

"Are you very sure?" she asked him kindly and he nodded his agreement. She smiled and kissed his forehead. "You're a wonderful brave boy Noah and anyone who tells you differently is going to have your family, this family, to deal with," Quinn told him seriously. He gave a soft smile and then Quinn continued. "Here baby, you stay here. I'm going to go get the cream and then I will come back," she told him. She was gone for only a few seconds, but his nerves built exponentially in that time. She took a seat next to him and spoke kindly. "Okay, so you my love, need to know for sure, what is going to happen. The cream will not hurt. It might itch a little later, but that's only because it's healing. I promise you now though, it will not hurt and I will be super gentle when I touch you. "I'm going to show you on the back of your hand first. Do you agree to this?" she asked him. He confidently gave her his hand, but it was trembling as he left it out there and she didn't know if it was pure nerves or a mix of nerves and lack of sleep.

"Okay buddy, let's do this," she said. "I'm going to put some cream on your hand and then I'm just going to let it sit, I want you to know what it feels like," she explained. He nodded and she put on a small bit of cream. "Now, I'm going to have to rub it in slightly so I'm going to show you what that feels like too, but on your hand to start. I will not move on, until I'm sure you understand what is happening," she told him. He nodded and she watched him close his eyes. He was trying to take it all in and feel, since his sight was so damaged.

"Mommy? When I go doctor?" he asked as she rubbed the cream in. He wanted to say surgery, but his mouth was still healing, so certain words were out of use for the moment.

"Well, today is Friday so you'll be going on Monday. And I know that that all next week, you will not be left alone. Most of us will be here with you, to make sure you're healing properly," she told him.

"Can Mar-ree and I 'ook at movie?" he asked.

"Of course. I'm sure Marley would like that. I know she likes being with you," Quinn said as she rubbed all the aloe onto his hand. "Can I move on to your cheek?" she asked him and he nodded cautiously. "I'll go slow buddy, I promise and no pinching, absolutely no pinching. Nothing painful and nothing that will cause you harm," she said. "Here, I have the cream on my finger. Why don't you hold my wrist so you know where my hand is, in relation to your cheek," she told him and he seemed to like that idea. He carefully took her hand. "We will count down from five," she said kindly. "By one, my finger will be on your cheek," she told him and he nodded. "Okay, here we go, hold on tight to me," she said. "Five, four, three, two, one," she said counting slowly and at one, Noah didn't even flinch, he just felt cool cream on his face and he wrinkled his nose. It tickled a little bit. "Are you okay?" Quinn asked him.

"Mmm," he said nodding, "You do Mommy," he told her.

"Okay, I'm going to rub it in," she told him and she very gently and delicately rubbed the aloe into his skin and he sighed. It was nice to have someone touching him kindly. He kind of wished it was Marley, but he loved Quinn too. Everyone in the house did nothing but take good care of him, and he hoped that he could repay the kindness one day.

Once both cheeks weret finished Quinn smiled. "Kisses for my sweet boy," she told him and then leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I'm really proud of you buddy. I can't even begin to imagine how scared you might have been just now," Quinn said validating what she thought were his fears.

"Mommy?" he asked "Here?" he asked pointing to his crotch.

"I can, but it's going to require a little more work, and a little more massage and we should probably go into the bathroom," she said kindly.

"Okay," he agreed and he slipped off the couch and felt around himself. He knew where the couch and coffee table were. "Mommy, wah," he asked.

"The wall is straight in front of you. Do you know where you are?" she asked.

He nodded and counted his crawls down to the bathroom. Once he was in there he waited. "What do I do?" he asked.

Quinn smiled and spoke kindly. "You know how we change Marley? She lays on her back for us. I need you to be like that, and no pants and no underwear," she said.

"What if I get hard?" he asked, blushing at least seven shades of red.

"If you do, you do. It's what might happen, but I know that it's just because of what I'm doing. Bodies respond to touch. They are designed to do that," she explained. "If it freaks you out, you can call me Quinn while we do this," she offered.

"No, Mommy," he said seriously, the blush still heavy on his cheeks, which only made his bruising look worse.

"Alright Noah. If that's what you want, I won't object. I have told you from day one, what you want to call me is okay by me, but it's because you want it, not for any other reason, deal?" she asked.

"Dee," he said and she smiled as he carefully wiggled his way into position. He laid on his back and reached down to his hips. He undid his pants, lifted his hips and wiggled them down his body. Then he hooked his thumbs into his underwear and shimmied that down as well. He didn't even feel it pass over his penis. His poor body had so much swelling and nerve damage that Quinn was afraid he was going to suffer permanent and irreversible damage.

"That's good Noah, you can stop now and just lie still. I will explain everything before it happens okay?" she told him.

"Um, kay," he said.

"You sound unsure buddy. I want you to be sure. Do you have a plan in mind for this?" she asked him.

"I t-air'd get hard," he said honestly.

"It's okay, I won't mind buddy, and you might, I won't lie to you, but I think that today will be okay," she told him. His penis was purple and blue. They weren't supposed to look that way, unless he was recently circumcised or it was hard plastic of some sort and required batteries. Terri had done a number on him. The cane marks, the infection below his belly button, the tic-tac-toe board just above it, and now this. She was a monster as far as Quinn was concerned. "Are you sure you don't want to do it? You can if you like," she offered him, knowing he might have changed his mind by now.

"No, I don't," he said sadly.

"Alright, why don't we try this. You know what Marley does when she needs to focus? Marley sings. Would you like to try singing too?" she asked him. He nodded. He liked the sound of that. "How about we sing the do re mi song, do you know that song?" she asked and he nodded. "Good. We can sing it together and as we sing, I will rub the aloe into your body, to help it heal," she told him and he nodded his agreement. "Before we start, you put my hands on your thighs. You have to get used to me touching you, so we just start here and we'll sing a few lines before I move in further, I promise," she told him.

He reached blindly for her hands, and she gave them to him. He put them on his thighs and began to sing softly. "Do, a deer, a female deer," he sang and Quinn smiled joining in. She left her hands on his thighs until they got to Sol and she moved one hand off to get a large scoop of aloe. Quinn put the backs of her hands on Noah's thighs and waited for him to finish.

"That was beautiful buddy. You have a wonderful singing voice," she told him and he gave a smile. "Okay so now I'm going to rub the aloe into you. Nice and slow. Like a very calm massage, and remember, what happens if you get hard?" she asked him. She knew it was a concern of his, but looking at him, she was very sure, there was no way he was going to be able to feel anything. He shrugged. "Nothing my love. Nothing happens to you, if you get hard. I won't be mad and I won't tease you and I will leave you alone in the bathroom to finish the job or relax yourself, it will be your decision completely, okay?" she asked and he nodded.

They began singing the song again and Quinn very carefully and very delicately began working the cream gently into his balls. He didn't flinch or squirm and just continued to sing. Eventually she worked her hands to the shaft and stopped when he finished song for the second time. "Mommy?" he asked. "You do?" he questioned. He hadn't felt a thing and he thought she was just waiting for him to say he was truly comfortable.

"I'm nearly finished baby, yes," Quinn said kindly.

"I no fee' it," he said.

"That's alright baby. You might not. Because Terri was so mean to you, you may not feel it until you're much more healed," Quinn reasoned. She didn't want to tell him, she thought there was permanent damage that he would never recover from. "You can sing more if you like, I'm just going to finish up," she told him and he nodded.

"I okay," he said and yawned heavily as she worked the aloe cream into his shaft. Once it was done, she sat back and smiled.

"It's all done Noah. I'm going to stand up and wash my hands. Lay still on the floor and rest for me okay?" she said kindly. He nodded and turned his head to the side, feeling sleep start to take over his body when there was a jingle at the front door, indicating someone was home. "Stay still buddy, I'll be right back," she said kindly and she left him lying on the bathroom rug while she went to the door. Santana walked in with Marley and Marley was crying softly.

"Alright baby girl, come on. Time for a nap okay?" she asked.

"No, I see Noah," she whined.

"Noah's in the bathroom honey. He's just about to take a nap himself," Quinn said.

"Mommy," Marley whined, her tears coming quickly. Between therapy, her natural interrupted sleep pattern, and the exhaustion from going through her day today, she was over tired and now she was weeping.

"I know baby, I know, it's been a long day," Santana told her kindly. "Come on. What if you and Noah take a rest together okay?" she offered and looked to Quinn.

"Yeah, but I'll need help getting him out of the bathroom," Quinn said honestly.

Santana nodded and helped Marley to the couch. "Stay still baby girl, I will help Auntie Quinn get Noah and then the two of you can nap together," Santana said and Marley nodded her agreement, but continued to weep. Santana gave her a kiss and then moved toward the bathroom where she found Quinn helping Noah to sit up and he leaned forward and held on to Quinn.

"A little help please," Quinn said looking at Santana.

Santana nodded and got behind Noah and carefully lifted him up and they very gently shuffled him into the living room. Santana saw a look on Quinn's face and she didn't like it. Something was off. So she got the kids settled on the couch and covered them with a light blanket.

"You okay Mar-ree?" Noah asked tiredly and she nodded tearfully. "We night night," Noah told her. "Better af-tah," he said kindly and he tiredly wrapped himself around her, so she was cuddled tightly against him. They were both asleep in seconds. Santana then walked over to Quinn and sat next to her.

"What happened?" she asked her.

"He's," Quinn started, but the tears came quickly and she fell into the table. Santana picked her up and held her.

"We're going to be okay Quinn. I will help you figure this out, whatever the problem is," Santana said kindly.


	43. Chapter 43

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you are all well. **

**Warnings for this chapter: Descriptions of Noah's bruises. Read with caution.**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it.**

**Be well friends**

* * *

><p>Almost two hours later Quinn woke up in bed. Specifically she was in Santana's bed and she was completely naked. She tiredly opened her eyes and saw her bra hanging on the door, at least she thought it was her bra. She looked over toward the closet and saw another bra over there. She groaned inwardly and rolled over to find a still sleeping Santana next to her. Her neckline was the only thing visible and Quinn sighed. She lifted the covers to double check.<p>

"Yeah I'm naked too," Santana said sleepily and Quinn gasped and jumped, slapping at Santana's stomach.

"You scared the shit out of me! Warn a person before you comment!" Quinn scolded.

"That makes no sense, at all," Santana said and she rolled onto her side. "Do you feel any better?"

"We just had depression sex didn't we?" Quinn asked.

"Were you depressed before?"

"Yeah."

"Do you feel better now?"

"A little"

"Do you think it was because of the sex?"

"Maybe," Quinn said blushing.

"Then I guess it worked, and then I guess we did. I mean, that's one of the perks of sex right, after you get it, you feel better?" Santana surmised.

"I don't know if I like that," Quinn said and she immediately regretted it. Santana looked hurt. "No, no, no," she said and she pulled Santana close and kissed her strongly, with meaning and passion and it caught Santana slightly off guard. "I don't mean you, I mean I don't know if I like that we had depression sex. The sex part is fine. The depression part is not," she said.

"I think you're making stuff up," Santana laughed and then nuzzled Quinn gently. "I already checked on the kids, both are still asleep, they haven't figured out about us yet, although Rachel has," she said.

"Does she care?" Quinn asked.

"No, she seemed encouraging," Santana said. "So tell me then, what was the depression part for you today?" changing topics so she didn't have to think about what she and Quinn actually were.

"Noah wanted to use the aloe cream to help himself get better," she said.

"That's wonderful though," Santana said not quite following.

"It's beyond wonderful. It's brave, and trusting and means he's on his way to healing and all of that. The depressing part is, he can't feel me touching him."

"He holds onto you like a lifeline. I've seen it. We've all seen it," Santana said.

"No. I mean touching him. Do you know his penis is blue and purple and swollen to twice the size it probably should be?" Quinn asked and her voice held nothing but sadness and a bit of anger. Santana waited for her to continue. "He told me that he was ready for the cream, so I went slow. I put some on his hand and then rubbed it in, I put some on his cheek, with him guiding my hand, rubbed that in, and then he wanted his penis, but he was afraid he would get hard and he was so embarrassed, and so concerned that he was going to make me mad. I assured him that I would not be mad and if he did get hard, then I'd give him privacy in the bathroom and he could take care of it anyway he wanted. So he laid down on his back, took off his clothes by himself and I saw, in full view, no obstructions, a blue and purple member with two very large purple grapes behind it. I'm sorry but the only reason it should ever look that color is because it requires batteries!" Quinn said.

"But you knew that going into this. You knew about the bruises and welts and all the pain he had suffered," Santana pointed out kindly. She chose her words very carefully, because when Quinn was angry, everyone should stay out of her way.

"Yeah I did, but bruises and wounds like that, they heal. He can't even feel me touching him. That's nerves. She did severe and permanent damage to him and he's only seventeen," she said tears burning her eyes.

"You can't tell anyone this, but I cry for Marley too," Santana said.

"You don't cry ever. Only when you're drunk," she said with a smirk.

"Well I now have another reason to cry and she's out there, sleeping peacefully, at least for now," Santana told her.

"I do like being with you," Quinn said after some silence.

"That's good, and I like being with you too, but the kids come first, deal?" Santana asked.

"Always," Quinn smiled.

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, Noah and Marley slept well into the day, and it was now approaching dinner time. It was Rachel's night to cook and she decided on a simple chicken dish, with cajun rice, and brussels sprouts for sides. Most people complained about sprouts, but Rachel did a really good job with them. She did so well that they were known to disappear as she was cooking and other people were in the kitchen with her.<p>

She was finishing the rice when she heard a bedroom door open and looked over to see Quinn emerging from the bedroom and she looked off. "You okay Quinn?" Rachel asked kindly.

"Yeah, although I think I could really go for some whiskey," she said.

"Still?" Rachel asked with concern.

"Yeah, but I won't. It's not going to help anything, it's just going to make me forget for a moment and probably make me angry, so no I won't be drinking it," she said and Rachel nodded and went back to cooking. "What are you making?" Quinn asked.

"Dinner," Rachel said and Quinn gave a genuine laugh and nodded.

"Anything more specific than that?" Quinn asked causing Rachel to smile.

"Grilled chicken with spices, cajun rice, and brussels sprouts," she said.

"I was good till the sprouts," she said.

"Seriously, you have to try them. I don't know what she does to them, but their amazing," Santana said coming out of the bedroom as well and then she went to steal one.

"Hey!" Rachel scolded slapping at Santana's hand and missing. "No more for you, and also, tell me you two had fun," Rachel said hopefully.

"Why is this so important to you?" Santana asked with a huff.

"Be nice to her," Quinn scolded.

"Because I've seen both of you struggle throughout school. I've seen you want something special and I think you've both found it. You both have a very unique situation and I think it would just make everything easier if you two became a thing," she reasoned.

"I don't do labels," Santana said seriously. Quinn had to agree. She didn't do labels either.

"It doesn't have to be labeled. I won't do that to you. I just think you two should be a thing," Rachel said simply. "Meanwhile, someone taste this, I want to make sure it's not too spicy," she said, holding up a small spoonful of rice. Santana moved in and took a taste before nodding. Their quiet time was interrupted shortly there after when Marley started to whimper in her sleep.

Santana walked over to her, knelt down, and pet her thigh gently to help rouse her from sleep. "Shhh, you're okay baby girl. Mommy's here," she said softly and Quinn felt her heart melt into a puddle. It was wonderful to see this side of Santana and she was almost sad that she'd missed all the months before, but she was also sad it had to happen like this.

"Mommy," Marley whimpered, her eyes opening slowly, and all of a sudden, she focused in on Santana and broke down into sobs.

"Oh my goodness," Santana said kindly, gathering Marley tight in her arms. She held her close and then carefully sat down and pulled her into even tighter, keeping her close and Marley seemed to shrink into her. She was calm and quiet and snuggled up close.

"I hate that someone had to be injured, but I love seeing her like that," Quinn said softly to Rachel, wrapping her in a hug as well.

"Kurt and I like it too, but I have to tell you, that watching you with Noah. Pretty damn special," she said.

"I've had a more nurturing side than Santana from the first day you met me," Quinn smirked.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry, you only threw warm slushies in my face," Rachel laughed and Quinn frowned, not saying anything. Rachel rolled her eyes and turned. "Hey, stop, it was a joke," she told her and she kissed her cheek. "We are all very different people now. You two are moms and I'm some strange aunt figure and Kurt's an uncle or a Papa. Things change," she said simply.

"You're pretty damn special Treasure Trail," Quinn teased as she wrapped Rachel in a tighter hug and Rachel just giggled, the two of them watching Santana and Marley.

"Mommy, day, pee day," Marley begged.

"Shhh, yes, look at Mommy sweetheart," she told her and she carefully guided her chin, so they were eye to eye. "Look at Mommy baby. I'm not going anywhere. I am right here and will always be with you," she told her and covered her little girl in soft sweet kisses. Marley was still half asleep, so she fixed herself into a better position and straddled Santana's lap and curled up against her as best she could.

"Mommy, I sorry," she whimpered.

"Why are you sorry baby?" she asked her. Marley didn't answer, she just cried. "Okay baby girl, okay," Santana said kindly. "You know what baby? You have done nothing wrong, and Mommy isn't leaving you. I love you very much," she told her and then cuddled her close, reaching for her pacifier and putting it in Marley's hand. Marley didn't shove it into her mouth right away. She stopped and pushed back away from Santana and studied her face for a moment, before she put the pacifier in her mouth and went back to resting against her. "A little rest baby girl, it's almost dinner time," Santana said kindly.

"And how about you? How are you?" Rachel asked Quinn seriously. She knew how Santana was. Santana was a mess. Her little girl was a mess and Rachel knew it was killing Santana that she couldn't just magically fix her.

"Honestly, I am very concerned about him," she said.

"Why?"

"He has no feeling. There is absolutely no feeling in his genitals and no feeling means nerve damage. His infections all look better, and I'm going to try to get him to put aloe on his stomach, but I don't know that he will," she sighed.

"You're making progress Quinn. It's okay to break down and be scared," Rachel told her kindly.

"And you know this because?"

"Because Santana does it all the time, she just thinks we don't know. We know. We hear her. It's a small house. Just because you're having trouble, and you're technically the one in charge, doesn't mean you can't take a break for yourself every now and again. It's why I keep offering to let you two go on a date without the kids. Go out, have fun, and know that I'm okay taking care of them," Rachel said.

"I'll run it by Santana again, but know that she thinks, because there are two of them now, we are out numbered. I'm not sure how she's come to that conclusion, but she has and you know her. When she's dead set on something, there is no changing her mind," Quinn said and Rachel nodded.

"Just know the offer still stands."

* * *

><p>Dinner was a quiet affair with general chit chat and the kids answered questions and participated in general conversation, but they both looked pretty tired and depressed. "Okay guys, why don't we go play in the other room," Rachel said to Marley and Noah. "Mama found a new game that we can all play," she smiled.<p>

"What it Mama?" Noah asked curiously.

"Do either of you remember light brights?" she asked.

"Oooh, I do," Noah smiled and Marley smiled nodding her agreement.

"Mama?" she asked softly. "Can Noah sees da holes?" she asked.

"Well that's what we're going to find out and if he can't, then you and I can help him and all together we will make a beautiful picture to show your mommies okay?" she asked them.

"Okay. Mommy, you no peak," Marley told her seriously.

"I promise," Santana smiled and she gave her a kiss to her cheek and then let her go off to play. She was just glad that a simple game seemed to lift their spirits a little bit. Marley deserved it. Marley and Noah scooted away, crawling together, him following her, until the two of them were over by the tv and Quinn tapped Santana's hip.

"What happened at therapy?" she whispered.

"She has a traumatic condition," Santana said softly and Quinn raised an eyebrow. "When she gets super worked up and afraid, she goes deaf, and I only found out today," Santana said.

"Deaf? Are you sure?"

"The therapist asked her if cats barked and she shook her head yes," Santana said.

"Okay, well how do you fix it?"

"I have no idea, because apparently we are supposed to find out what caused it first," Santana sighed. "We're back to the damn onions. I hate onions and layers and going slow. I just want her fixed, and not so scared all the time," Santana sighed.

Quinn frowned and wrapped Santana in a hug from behind and rested her chin on Santana's shoulder. "Yeah, but right now. That little girl, your little girl, she seems pretty happy," Quinn offered.

"And I'm glad for that, I just wish that could stay all the time. When is Noah's surgery?" she asked quickly changing the subject.

"First of all, you should deal with it. Marley learns from her Mommy. Secondly his pre-op is tomorrow. They're going to check on his infection too. He's looking a little pale to me," Quinn said. "The actual surgery is Monday though.

"Is he going to be in recovery long? Her birthday is Wednesday, and I thought we could all do something together," Santana said.

"What were you thinking?"

"Something simple to start. I was thinking maybe we go to central park and the little zoo inside, stop and get italian ice while we're there. Just something so she knows she's not been forgotten," Santana said. "I think she would like that. I have to go pick up her gift though. Not sure when I'm going to do that though," she said.

"You know what it is?"

"Figured it out a few days ago. I'm hoping she'll love it as much as I love the idea of giving it to her."

"Well what is it?"

"I don't want to tell you," Santana said.

"Brat," Quinn grinned and she nibbled lightly at Santana's neck, causing her to moan softly.

* * *

><p>"Noah," Marley said softly. "Here, you can do it. Push it here, can you see? Do you need help?" Marley asked, her hands on his the entire time.<p>

"I can," he said and she nodded and backed off a bit, letting him put it in, but the silly piece of plastic wouldn't go through the paper or the hole and he got frustrated. "He'p," he pouted.

"Is okay, dey don't goes fer me somety's," she babbled at him and she carefully took his hand and guided it, having a difficult time herself. "Mama," she whimpered, needing help with it.

"Okay, but if it doesn't go for Mama, then we're choosing a different peg, this is getting very silly," Rachel smiled, trying to keep the tone light. She could see they were both frustrated and probably tired. They'd done a great deal of sleeping, but therapy and memories always seemed to take a toll on everyone. It didn't go in for Rachel either and she smiled. "Nope, not this one. Who can find me another red peg?" she asked and they both handed her one rather quickly. "Thank you very much my love," she said taking it from each of them and put each of the pegs in a designated R spot, as the directions stated.

Noah was sifting through the pegs on the floor and smiling. "You has a nice smile Noah," Marley told him kindly and he blushed a little bit.

"Fank you," he smiled. "Here," he said kindly and reached for her hand. She gave it to him and he put her hand in his and then ran it through the pegs. It was a cool sensation and they were both happy to let the pegs flow through their fingers rather than put the pegs into the board and Rachel let them be. It had been about three whole minutes, before Santana let out a moan and Noah looked up and over. They were in his line of vision and he saw the two women, at least blobs that looked like them, and they appeared to be kissing or cuddling or something and he got curious. "Mama?" he asked softly.

"Yeah baby?"

"Um, Mommy an Auntie Tana, um, mar-reed?" he asked slowly, trying to get all the sounds to come out correctly.

Rachel gave a kind smile. She didn't have the answer to that question. "Would that be okay if they were?" she asked him.

"Um, dat make Mar-ree my itta?" he asked.

"Oooh, you be my bru-va?" Marley asked happily. She liked the sound of that. She'd been an only child her whole life, and to have a brother might be nice.

"Yeah, dat okay," he said thoughtfully.

"Well to answer your question buddy, no, Mommy and Auntie Tana are not married, but they do make each other very happy," Rachel smiled.

"Mama, I wan' dem marry," Marley said and she crawled over to Rachel's lap, and laid down, putting her head on Rachel's thigh, and sighed happily.

"And why is that baby girl?" Rachel asked kindly, combing her fingers gently through her hair as she rested.

''Makes Mommy happy. She should be happy. I don't make her happy, I tubba," she said.

"You not tubba!" Noah scolded her.

"Calm please," Rachel said seriously but gently, so she didn't snap at them and frighten them.

"Mar-ree, you not tubba," Noah insisted.

"Yeah I am. I no walk, I talk funny, I don't wanna grow up," she said.

"Not make you tubba. Make you know what you want," he told her.

"Terri said it made me a freak and a slut."

"Terri mean!" Noah snapped. He was getting frustrated with Marley. To him she was the gorgeous girl who knew what she wanted and went after it and she did nothing but talk badly about herself.

"Yeah and?" Marley asked him with tears stinging her eyes.

"And her mean. Her terriba. You not tubba. You, you," he stammered. He couldn't say the word, because there were too many sounds to put together that his mouth wasn't quite ready for yet. He was practicing and getting better, but it wasn't all back yet. "Mar-ree, I vuh-v you, kay?" he asked her.

"You gotta say that," she said softly and Rachel shook her head and tapped Marley on her forehead, getting her to look up at her.

"Hi," she smiled down at her and Marley let out a small laugh. "He doesn't have to say he loves you. No one has to say that. People choose to. People choose a lot of things," she told her. "Noah chooses to love you, just like Mommy, Papa, and I choose to love you too. Now I don't know about Auntie Quinn and how she feels about you, but I am fairly certain, she does love you," Rachel said.

"It's not right Mama, I'm not right," Marley said.

"Wrong!" Noah snapped at her. He truly loved her and she couldn't see it, which did two things. It saddened him greatly that she wouldn't feel how much he loved her, because he truly did love her, and it pissed him off that Terri was the cause of her pain. The physical would heal, had mostly healed by this point, but he was concerned about the emotional and mental pain and he wasn't so sure he could fix that, no matter how badly he wanted to.

"Noah, calm down my love," Quinn called from the kitchen.

"Mommy, he'p!" he called out and she went over to them, being sure to try and not see whatever light bright display they were working on. Rachel smiled helpfully and pulled the light box behind her back to keep it hidden

"What's up buddy?" Quinn asked him.

"Mar-ree fink you no vuh-v her," he said seriously.

"Well that's not good," Quinn said kindly. "What's up lady bug?" she asked her gently moving a bit closer to pet her face and play with her hair. Marley liked all those things and found them soothing, most people in general did, and the little ones at the club seemed to thrive on it.

"You love Mommy?" Marley asked and Rachel smiled as Quinn blushed a bit.

"You can teh her Mommy. We know," Noah supplied helpfully.

"And what is it that you think you know?" she asked pulling Noah closer to her and cuddling him.

"Dat you vuh-v Auntie Tana," he said. "I heard you in da bed," he told her. He didn't understand why this was a secret. Love was love, it made people happy. He thought it should be celebrated.

"Okay, we have to get Auntie Tana in on this conversation then," Quinn said kindly and Marley started to whimper. "Santana, come join us please," Quinn called.

"Is it safe, I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"I'm sitting in front of it, you're fine," Rachel called and Santana walked over, took a seat near Rachel and Marley changed laps, needing to be with her Mommy. After a moment of affection Quinn spoke up. "Noah buddy, tell Auntie Tana what you told me please," she said.

"You vuh-v Mommy," he said softly. He was starting to think he was in trouble for something, but he didn't know what. He didn't do anything wrong as far as he could tell.

"Well I like Mommy a great deal, yes," Santana said.

"Buh you in bed wit' her," Noah said with confusion. He was seventeen and he knew that people had sex, just to have sex, but the way these girls were around each other, they had to be a couple. They were too attentive and concerned about each other to have it be anything less than just some casual fling.

"I told you, you were a screamer," Quinn teased and Santana rolled her eyes.

"You saw that did you? I thought you and Marley were napping," Santana said kindly and she cuddled Marley close. "Does it bother you that Mommy and Auntie Quinn might end up together?" she asked her softly, giving her little kisses to her temple.

Marley gave a soft smile. "Do I call her Daddy?" she asked.

"Cheeky little girl," Santana laughed and covered her in kisses, tickling her lightly. "No, you don't, but I think maybe you and Auntie Quinn can talk and come up with a name that you both like. It can be Godzilla for all I care."

"Would you stop, I am not Godzilla," Quinn scolded.

"No Mommy, you not," Noah smiled and he cuddled further into her lap.

"No, maybe," Marley said after a moment.

"Explain that a little better. Mommy was teasing, if you're being serious then we need to have a very serious conversation," Santana explained kindly.

"Zilla roars," Marley said and then she demonstrated a little bit of how she thought Godzilla sounded. "Auntie Quinn does dat for Noah. Yell and growl and make him safe, eat the bad people," Marley said.

"It's good enough logic for me Lady Bug," Quinn said and she cuddled Noah on her lap.

"Maybe Mama can take a picture of everyone?" Rachel suggested. This moment of her friends with their little ones. She didn't want to ever forget this opportunity. "We'll take a nice picture and text it to Papa okay?" she asked and both little ones nodded. She took the shot, texted it off, and it rang back a few minutes later. "I have fabulous news, try and put the kids in bed. The grown ups need to discuss it before we get them involved," Rachel read on her screen. "Papa says you all look beautiful and Noah looks handsome," Rachel said smoothly. "Now everyone go get ready for dinner please. I'll serve it all up for us," she said.


	44. Chapter 44

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you are all well.**

**Warnings for this chapter: Descriptions of Noah's bruises. Read with caution.**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it.**

**I'd also like to say that all reviews, be it with leaving your name, or leaving one as a guest, are all welcome.**

**Be well friends**

* * *

><p>Kurt came home around eleven that night. Both Noah and Marley were asleep in Santana's bed, curled up together and looking pretty angelic in Quinn's opinion. She turned around from the bedroom door and shushed him when she heard him enter. Getting them to even get to sleep had been a disaster of rather epic proportions and she didn't want him waking them.<p>

"Why are you glowing?" she asked him softly, closing Santana's door as quietly as she could.

"Because I have great news, where's everyone else?"

"Santana ran down for a last minute errand once the kids went to sleep, which was not easy, and Rachel is in her room, going over a script, that she doesn't understand or doesn't like. She was ranting, I didn't fully understand," Quinn explained.

"Well then I have to wait for Santana," he said and went to the fridge to get dinner.

"Left overs are on the stove. I made lasagna," Quinn said.

"Oooh, thanks for dinner then. So, how are the kids?" he asked her and Quinn dropped into a chair across from him and put her head down on her arms, sighing heavily. "That good huh?" he asked.

"I love them. I love them so much, I don't know what I would do with myself if they decided to "grow up" and leave us, but the work load, is crazy and because they are both so traumatized, I find it difficult to punish them," Quinn said honestly.

"At least you talk about it. Santana bottles it all up, doesn't know what to do with herself, and then has these breakdowns, that she doesn't let anyone help her with, so thank you for opening up," Kurt said.

"I know Santana does time out, but that didn't work today. She'd leave Noah in there for five minutes, go to call him out and he was fresh all over again," Quinn said.

"Noah!" Kurt asked in surprise.

"Yes, Noah, he was very protective of Marley today and because she had her usual tantrums, he got very protective and didn't want us anywhere near her," Quinn explained.

"He loves her," Kurt smiled.

"And I'm glad that he does, but when the Mommy says stop, you stop, or you pay the consequences," Quinn said.

"How long was he in time out for?"

"I think he totaled an hour, he was so angry and so frustrated, and Marley was upset too, but for her she felt guilt. She would crawl to the corner and sit with him, just so he wasn't alone and we'd have to drag her out and remind her, she was not the one who misbehaved. It has been a vicious circle all afternoon," Quinn said.

"Did anyone take a nap?"

"Marley did, and then Noah went and woke her up, when he got angry and frustrated and threw the blocks at the bedroom door. Sometimes I think they are really toddlers trapped in a bigger, more grown up body," Quinn said.

"Hey," Kurt said taking her hand. "You and Santana are doing everything and anything you can to help them. You are absolutely doing right by them, so don't beat yourself up over it okay? They just had a bad day, the pair of them." Kurt reminded her.

"I just don't know if every day can be like this. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle it, if it is," she said honestly.

"Which is why you have Santana, and Rachel, and me, and I have very good news to share with everyone, so as soon as Santana comes home, maybe your day will bright up a little bit," he said.

"Even though it's eleven pm?" she smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said and he continued to eat his dinner.

Twenty minutes later, Santana came home to find her room mates sitting at the table, all looking very somber. "Did I miss something terrible?" she asked cautiously moving over and sitting herself in Quinn's lap. Quinn simply wrapped her arms around Santana's waist and waited for Kurt to make his announcement.

"No, you're just looking at very tired people," Kurt said. "However, I have fantastic news, so you're all going to go from tired to excited," he said.

"Oh my God, just say it already," Quinn said.

"Guess who booked four national voice over commercials with Chanel Number five," he said.

"Holy crap, are you serious?" Rachel asked, almost squealing.

"Do not wake those kids," Santana said leaning over and swatting at her.

"Congratulations Kurt," Quinn said.

"No, you don't get it. Each one, for me, take home is a little over six thousand dollars, plus residuals when it gets picked up by the varying markets," Kurt said and both Quinn and Santana looked at him with confusion, only Rachel seemed to know what was going on because she was bursting with joy at this point.

"I'm making more than you two combined," he said rolling his eyes a bit. "If we pool our money, as soon as I'm done recording, we can actually put a down payment on a house, and maybe get some more room," he said.

"Whoa, really?" Santana asked, finally putting it all together.

"Yeah, a nice little house, with enough rooms for all of us, just outside the city and we can all keep our jobs and not be on top of each other," he said.

"I like this," Santana smiled.

"That's two, what about you Quinn, ready to make it an uneven three?" he asked her smiling.

"Sure, why not," Quinn smiled hugging Santana closely. "And now we have to figure out how to break it to our little ones," Quinn said.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked curiously.

"Our little ones. Your little girl and my little boy, sometimes, who don't deal well with change. The ones who freak out when they are pushed anywhere outside of their comfort zone," she said.

"Yes, you have a point, you are right, but we're not moving tomorrow," Kurt said kindly. "I think we should all think about it, and start floating the idea to them. We can go look at houses, just the four of us, and then when we all find a house we agree with, that's when we say we want to show it to them," Kurt said.

"No, wait, hold it. I want to see a contract for you first!" Rachel said. "I've heard of too many scams, so before we all get too excited, let's get it in writing," she said.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with Berry," Santana said.

"Must be serious, I'm back to Berry," Rachel smirked.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Quinn and Santana woke up early and had a little breakfast date at the kitchen table. Santana made them coffee and Quinn made a bagel with cream cheese. She only made one, because she thought it would be much more romantic if they shared it. Santana poured two coffee cups, fixed them how both girls liked them and then sat down at the table. Quinn took a seat across from her and smiled. She picked up the bagel and carefully held it up to Santana. "Wanna play?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.<p>

Santana folded her hands on the table and smiled. She lowered her eyes and tucked her chin, before lifting simply her eyes, telling Quinn that she was fully willing to submit to her partner in crime. "Tongue out," Quinn ordered and Santana obeyed the command, poking her tongue out, just a touch, and Quinn smiled. "Very good my love," she said and she ran the edge of the bagel over her tongue, letting her lick some of the cream cheese off. "Tongue stays out, do not lick, do not swallow," Quinn ordered her. She quickly took a bite of the bagel, the portion Santana had licked and put it on her tongue. "Stay," Quinn said and she leaned in and gave Santana a hungry kiss. The bagel and cream cheese mixed and they each managed to get a bit of both. The kiss finally broke and Santana waited for further instruction. Quinn stood up and moved over to Santana's lap. "I love you," she told her seriously. She looked deep into her eyes and made sure that when Santana searched hers, she saw nothing but honesty. It was a risk for sure, but it was so pure and so real, that Quinn couldn't pass the moment.

Santana smiled after a moment, pulled Quinn's face a bit closer and kissed her passionately. "I love you too," Santana said honestly. The two of them were sharing short, sweet, passionate, kisses and nuzzled each other for a few moments, before they heard Noah crying in the bedroom. "You're up Mommy," Santana teased.

"As much as I love you, and I do love you, sometimes, you are a total bitch," Quinn said.

"It's why you love me. Go check on him," Santana said kindly.

Quinn gave her a quick kiss and then went to the bedroom. She stood in the doorway and watched for a moment. He was trying to be quiet, but it hadn't quite worked. "Noah buddy," she said softy. "Noah, do you need help?" she called to him, and he cried even harder. Quinn moved further into the room and went over to where he was, curled up on the floor, possibly in pain, and crying softly. "What's wrong my sweet boy," she asked him with concern.

"I," he started and then he shook his head. He couldn't tell her. She'd think he was stupid and being a baby.

"Shhh, Noah, it's okay buddy, can I give you a hug?" she asked him. He shivered and shook his head no. He couldn't accept it. He would be mocked, he was sure of it. He was seventeen and curled up in a corner crying. "Okay, okay, I'll stay here then," she said kindly. "Let's do what we do best buddy. Let's try to figure this out together," she offered and after a very long silence he agreed. "Tell me love, do you know why you're over here?" she asked. He nodded and she gave him a kind smile. "That's a good start then buddy. I'm very glad to hear that. Let me take a guess. Did you have a bad dream or memory?" she asked. He shook his head no. He'd actually had a very good dream. A dream about him and Marley. At least that was how it started out.

_He walked into the house and set his coat and shoes in the closet and walked into a house he didn't recognize, but he knew he felt safe there. He heard Marley singing in the kitchen and called to her. "Mar! I'm home!" he called._

_"In here love," she sing songed back to him, and his heart melted at the sound of her voice. It was just so loving and so gentle, and he knew that she felt the same way about him as he did about her. He looked down at his hand and realized that his wedding ring proved it. He walked into the kitchen and screamed in horror._

_Instead of finding Marley, he found Terri. She was standing over Marley's body, and blood had pooled beneath her body. "NO!" he screamed and rushed to her. He begged her to be okay. He begged her to come back to him and promised her how much he loved her._

_"It doesn't matter what you tell her slut. She doesn't love you. She can't. No one can, and do you know why? Because I took this," she said and she held up his penis. It looked a bit funny, but then he felt a pain in his groin and when he looked down, he saw blood coming out of his body and Terri was simply standing there laughing, singing that terrible, horrific song, that Santana had said she never wanted to hear again._

Quinn watched him carefully and spoke kindly. "Did you have a dream about people you know?" she asked him and he nodded slowly. "Okay. Did you dream that people were hurt maybe?" she asked noticing he was still breathing a bit rapidly and looked even more pale than he did the day before.

"Mommy," he said softly. "Hug now?" he asked softly.

"Yes baby boy, come here," Quinn said and she helped him into her lap and held him close, rocking slowly from side to side. "I am so sorry that you had such a frightening dream my love," she told him. "But you're safe now. In your house, with your family. Shall we go check on everyone so you can be sure that I'm telling the truth?" he asked.

"You rye?" he asked her softly.

"No, I'm not lying, but I know that sometimes, taking for someone at their word can require a lot of trust and sometimes, you just don't trust people. You want to and you mean to, but for some reason, sometimes, you just don't. I want to give you the option," she explained. "It's okay too," she assured him. He snuggled in closer to her and shook his head no. He trusted her. The dream had nothing to do with her. She was a safe person. Rachel and Kurt were safe too. Santana was simply protective. He even saw her yelling at Terri from behind some big glass block in his dream he remembered.

"Mommy, Aunt Tana?" he asked.

"You want to go see her?" Quinn asked and he nodded. "Okay, we can go see her. She's awake and at the kitchen table. Would you like to go together, or shall I let you crawl on your own?"

"Guide pee," he said.

"Alright, stand up for me then and we'll go together," she told him. He carefully moved up to his feet and then Quinn guided him into the kitchen.

"Well good morning," Santana smiled at him. Noah walked over to her and carefully reached for her hand. She gave it to him and he held on tightly. He put his other hand on the table, turned and sat down on her lap. "Oooh, I get cuddles instead of Quinn? What happened did you two have a fight?" she teased.

He smiled sadly, and shook his head no. "I ju't need to know you ree," he said.

"I am very real," she promised him and squeezed him a little bit tighter to her body. "I know this tension though. Do you want to talk about your dream? Or are you not ready yet?" she asked kindly.

"Me an' Mar-ree, not here, um-where, Mar-ree dead, Terri did it. T'en Terri he'd up my," he said and he stopped, blushing furiously and his entire body went stiff, because the thing he wanted to tell them about was embarrassing for him and he really didn't feel it, which was concerning for him.

Both women waited and when he didn't finish, Santana spoke kindly. "You know what Noah? You never have to tell us anything that you're not ready to share yet. If you don't want to finish that sentence, you don't have to and we won't force you. I will tell you though, that sometimes, it's okay to talk about things, because if you talk it out, you're more prepared for when you either have the scary dream again, like Marley does, or you have to face any scary thing in reality," she told her.

Noah considered this for a moment and then spoke. "Mommy," he called, not seeing her at all.

"I'm still here bud, I haven't left," she said kindly from her seat across from Santana

"Ur-ree today," he said pointing to his eye.

"No baby, pre-surgery today," Quinn smiled. "Remember when we went to the doctor and they said they need to make sure you are totally healthy and they need to give you a game plan," Quinn said. "Once we have that and you get your all clear, then on Monday you will have your surgery. It's only a few more days of being guided.

"Gahguh," he said.

"Goggles?" she asked and he nodded. "Close. Glasses," Quinn smiled. "And yes, you are going to have to wear special glasses for a while, but only for a few days. After that, you'll be good as new and we'll only have to go back one more time to make sure that the infections on your stomach are healing properly.

"Aa-roe," he said.

"We can put more aloe onto you, that's fine," Quinn smiled. "We can do it now, or after breakfast if you like," she said.

"Eat pee," he said.

"You sit with Santana then and I'll fix you breakfast. What would you like?" she asked him.

"What my op-tin?" he asked.

"Your op-tins," Quinn smiled giving him a kiss to his cheek. "are bagels and cream cheese, bagels and butter, cereal, pancakes, or waffles," Quinn said.

"Bay-guh and keem tee pee," he smiled.

"I love you," Santana told him and she gave him a kiss. "Do you know why?" she asked and he shook his head no. "I love you because you are brave and strong and you just make me very proud," she told him.

"Vuv you too Tana," he smiled snuggling into her. He said it, because it felt right, but it also felt like he was saying it to a real relative. He imagined that if he'd had a more normal family like his friends, that when he was little they'd go to family gatherings and older aunts and uncles would pull him close and tell him, that they loved him. Santana was doing that for him now and he liked it. It felt nice. So he returned the sentiment, in hopes that it would feel nice for her to hear those same words.

Quinn got Noah a bagel with cream cheese and set it in front of him, and he carefully stood up, moving out of Santana's lap and into his own chair, so he could eat. As he was eating, they heard a noise from behind them and them and Satnana stood up. "I'm just going to check on Marley," she said kindly and gave Noah a kiss to the top of his head before she went into the bedroom.

Marley was sitting up in bed, thinking apparently, and being very quiet, only moving slightly for a moment. Santana scratched on the doorframe lightly to gain her attention. Marley shook her head no, squeezed her eyes shut and sat very still. She was going to do this. She could absolutely do this, but she had to control it. "Marley baby," Santana said softly and Marley shook her head no again. She had to focus. She had to prove it, and she was going to do that right in this moment, but she needed to focus as hard as she could in order to do it.

Finally Marley finished her focus and turned to Santana. "Mommy. I pee when I said," she told her and Santana smiled and gave her a curious look before moving to sit on the bed with her.

"Explain that again please," Santana told her kindly.

"I had to pee. I waited till I said it was okay," she said and Santana still didn't quite understand, which Marley seemed to pick up. "You know I go potty now an I take a very long time?" she asked and Santana nodded. "Now I won't. Now I sit down and I tell myself to go and I do," she said proudly and it was the first time Santana had seen her baby girl be proud of herself.

"Yay Marley!" she cheered and Marley's smile widened. "I'm very proud of you," Santana told her. "But maybe now that you did, we change you," Santana suggested.

"Oh yeah, okay," she said and she laid down, prepared to let Santana do whatever was needed. Santana changed her and sure enough the seat of Marley's diaper was a neon yellow color, and Santana cleaned her up, used an extra wipe for her own hands, and then pulled a freshly diapered Marley into her lap and covered her in kisses. "I am so proud of you baby girl," she told her and she covered her temple and cheek in kisses. "You are getting so much better, so quickly, pretty soon, I won't know what to do with myself," Santana said.

"I going away?" Marley asked.

"No baby girl, only if you want to leave me. Otherwise, you can stay with me forever," Santana smiled.

"What 'bout Auntie Quinn. Her care?" she asked.

"I don't think so. She loves you and she loves Noah a great deal, and I'm not getting rid of you. If you were to leave, it would be by your decision and no one else's. Does that makes sense?" she asked and Marley nodded. She liked that she got to choose that. It was a huge process for her to trust anyone or any situation and now she was being told that she could stay with them forever. It was a very nice, very loving, very honest gesture.

"Mommy, can we cuddle for a little bit? Just us right now?" she asked.

"Of course baby girl," Santana said and she laid down on the bed and pulled Marley closer to her, the pair of them face to face and forehead to forehead.

"Mommy, I been thinkin," she said softly.

"Yeah? What are you thinking about?"

Marley laid quietly for a moment and noticed the button on Santana's tank and began playing with it for a moment. "I um," she said softly. "I like bein' you baby girl," she said.

"Well that's good, because I like being your Mommy," Santana smiled.

Marley smiled and cuddled into her Mommy, still playing with that button and Santana let her be. "I was finkin' other stuff too Mommy," she said.

"Do you want to share or not yet?" Santana asked her.

"How you know if you love someone?" she asked and Santana stayed quiet. The question had stunned her and she wasn't sure what she should say.

"Well I know that I love you," Santana said kindly.

"No, I mean like how you know you love Auntie Quinn," she said.

"Ah, romantic love," Santana smiled. "Do you think that you love someone like that maybe?" she asked and Marley nodded. "Well, here's what I know for me, but everyone is different. I also know that Mama had a very strong love and so she knows what it feels like too. If you feel like you want to, then I think you should ask her okay?" she bargained and Marley nodded. "When I look at Auntie Quinn, I feel two things immediately. Part of me feels like I can't breathe at all and the other part of me feels as if I look away from her, I'll die," she said.

"Does you feel futter-bys?" she asked softly.

"All over, yes," Santana told her.

"Is it bad to feel it?" Marley asked, continually playing with the button. Santana was waiting for her to pull the button off by twisting the threads so much, but she lived with Kurt, it could absolutely be sewn back on.

"No my baby girl. Feeling those things, is a good thing, and if you're very lucky, then whomever you feel those feelings for, they will feel them too and reciprocate them, and you'll build a very special relationship," Santana explained.

"Thank you Mommy," Marley said and she snuggled further into Santana. Cuddle time was nice and she wasn't ready to get up yet. She let out a long yawn and started to drift back to sleep.

Quinn poked her head into the bedroom ten minutes later and smiled. "Hey," she whispered. "Noah and I are going to use the bathroom to get ready for his appointment, are you good or do you need it?" she asked.

"No, I'm good," Santana smiled.

* * *

><p>Noah stepped carefully out of the tub and held on to Quinn. She wrapped him in a towel and carefully rubbed him dry. She didn't like the infection on his stomach, or the tick tack toe sign that had been burned into him. Her heart broke for the boy before her, whom she was learning to love more than she ever thought possible.<p>

"Kin?" he asked.

"Yeah bud?"

"What gonna happen today?" he asked.

"Today we're going to go for your pre-op appointment. All it means is they are going to give you a very quick exam to make sure you have no infections and that you're healing and you'll be good to go on Monday for your surgery," she explained and once he was dry, she left him wrapped in the towel. Do you want to try some aloe or do you want to wait?" she offered.

"No, it okay. I have pee," he said.

"Alright, shall we do it together, like the last time?" she asked him and he nodded. "Okay, we can do that. Sit down for me first. We'll do your cheeks and your belly, and then we can move lower if you want," Quinn said.

"Where Mar-ree?" he asked.

"Marley went back to bed. She woke up and then Santana went to check on her, and then when I peaked in on both of them, Marley was sleeping again. She looked pretty tired though. It's been a long and difficult few days for both of you so I guess that makes sense that she's sleeping. If you ever want to take a nap at some point during the day, any day, please let me know, okay?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Kin, can you put awoe on me?" he asked softly, blushing a little bit.

"Of course," she smiled. "Here take my hand," she said giving it to him. "I have it on my finger you bring my hand to your cheek and I will gently rub it in," she said and he nodded. As he moved her hand to his face, he slowly counted softly backward from five. When he reached one, her finger was on his cheek and she very carefully rubbed it in.

"Where now Kin?" he asked her softly.

"Where ever you would like it buddy," she told him kindly.

"Mommy, when I fee' my um, fing, again?" he asked her sadly. It bothered her slightly that he seemed to be switching back and forth, but it was also not so terrible, because it meant he trusted her a great deal.

"We can ask the doctor my sweet boy, because that is something I don't know the answer to, and I don't want to give you false information okay? Mommy believes in having as many answers as possible before she gives you any extra information," Quinn told him kindly.

He nodded and sort of fell into her. He was tired and nervous and having her hold him, that felt good, but he didn't know how to ask for it, so he simply just went for it. "Noah my dear, I love you very much," Quinn told him and she wrapped her arms around him and cuddled him tightly. She could feel all the tension and decided to run through the game plan of the day, one more time, in hopes that it would calm in his nerves. Once she finished her game plan, he finally spoke.

"Duh Mar-ree need docta?" he asked.

"Marley sees a therapist yes. She she's Doctor Isabelle to help her work on her mental troubles," Quinn said.

"Mar-ree no tubba," he protested.

"Shhh, calm please. No Marley is not trouble. We love Marley very much, we all do, but Marley has trouble inside her brain and talking to Doctor Isabelle will help her work those troubles out."

"It make Mar-ree kye, Mar-ree no go," he pouted.

"Yes, it does make Marley cry, but it's because she remembers and she doesn't like what she remembers. Marley is scared and she needs to work through that fear, that's all it is baby, I promise," Quinn said.

"I go too," he said stubbornly and what Quinn saw was a little boy, or little brother, possibly a big brother, sticking up for his sister. There was also the possibility that he had more amorous feelings for her, but wasn't ready to share that yet. All he knew was that he didn't want Marley sad or in pain, ever, and he made sure to communicate that to Quinn.

"We will ask," Quinn assured him. "Several people have to agree though. First is Marley, and second is Doctor Isabelle. Right now however, we need to get you ready so you can go to your pre-op appointment," Quinn explained as calmly as she could, but she could see a storm brewing. Noah was getting ready to have his first 'tantrum' and Quinn wasn't entirely sure she was prepared for it.

* * *

><p>Marley sat in the nursery with Santana. They were seated in the rocking chair, reading a story together. Santana was reading the story, while Marley pointed to the words and eventually, Marley looked up and spoke softly. "Mommy, I don't want to be here. I want to go home. I was good and I don't want you to leave me," she said, tears coming immediately.<p>

Santana leaned in and kissed her forehead, giving herself a moment to collect her words. She had to choose all her words very carefully, in order to keep her little girl calm. Marley may be using a completely grown up vocabulary, but she was definitely trying to stay in her little girl world, it was written all over her face. "Marley. Listen to Mommy baby, just listen," she said kindly and she laced their fingers together. "You are now and forever, my baby girl. You could leave me," Santana started.

"No!" Marley panicked.

"Shhh, no, listen baby girl. You could. You could decide you want to move to Alaska and work with polar bears, or you could go to Texas and study law to become a judge, or you could stay with me, and we can find you something to do here in New York, but even if you did move to work with polar bears or study law, I'd still check in on you. I'd be that annoying Mommy who calls her baby every day to make sure she ate, and is taking care of herself and is doing okay. I would also assure her that she could always come home, she could always come stay with Mommy, she always has a Mommy," Santana told her.

"I not leaving Mommy. Not ever. Too scary," she said sadly.

They were still curled up in the chair when Dr. Isabelle came in and Santana forced herself to remain calm. She didn't like the things that Isabelle did, but she tried to remain hopeful that they were all to help Marley. It was just very difficult to focus on that, when her baby girl was freaking out so badly. "Hello ladies, it's nice to see you again," she said.

"Hi Dr. Isabelle," Santana said, hoping to set a good example for Marley. Rachel's words were in her head. They'd had a brief chat early in the morning and Rachel's only offering of the entire conversation was to lead by good example for Marley. Santana wanted to say other things to Dr. Isabelle, but that wouldn't accomplish a great deal and would probably get her in hot water with her boss, so she simply said hello.

"It's nice to see you both again today," she said and she moved over to the toy chest and fished out the speak and spell. "Marley, I was talking to Nanny Susan yesterday after you left, and she said that you like this toy, so I thought maybe we could play with this together, is that okay?" she asked. Marley nodded but pressed her body so tightly into Santana, that Santana had to readjust herself, so her hips were not being forced into the wooden rails that were holding up the arms of the rocking chair. "You told me yesterday that your name is Marley Abigail Rose right?" she asked and Marley nodded and continued to stay pressed into Santana. "That is a beautiful name. Do you know your Mommy's name?" she asked. Marley nodded, but didn't say anything. "Would you care to share," Dr. Isabelle smiled handing Marley the toy. M-I-L-L-I-E-A-N-D-S-A-N-T-A-N-A, she spelled and she handed the toy back to Isabelle and snuggled into Santana.

"Thank you Marley, and who is Millie?" she asked.

"No!" Marley snapped.

"Marley," Santana warned her and Marley looked at her with pleading eyes. "No, don't even try. I know you don't want to be here and I know you are scared, but you don't get to be rude to Dr. Isabelle. Apologize for snapping," she said and Marley frowned and shook her head. "The rules haven't changed my love, you can apologize now and then we can continue together nicely, or you can sit in time out for being rude, apologize when it's over, and then we can continue. Your choice," Santana said.

Marley pouted and gave Santana a pleading look, but Santana stayed strong and eventually Marley turned her face to Isabelle and issued a proper apology.

"I'm sorry I snapped," she said.

"Thank you Marley," Isabelle said kindly. "I'm going to ask again though. Who is Millie?" she asked and Marley shook her head no. She wasn't going to snap, but she wasn't going to answer this question either and now she was pressing her body into Santana, trying to hide behind her. "Okay Marley, let's try this. who is Santana?" she asked and Marley picked up Santana's hand. She ducked her head and decided that was enough. She wasn't going to look at this woman who was causing her all this stress, she was going to hide behind her Mommy.

"Fi-ah," she said softly and she continued to say it until Santana finally heard her and spoke gently.

"Marley baby," she said softly and Marley lifted her head, still speaking softly.

"Fi-ah Mommy," she pleaded. "Fi-ah, fi-ah, fi-ah, fi-ah, fi-ah," she repeated and Santana carefully pet the side of her face.

"Shhh, I can get it sweetheart, but I have to get up to do so. Are you okay to sit here on your own for a moment?" she asked and Marley shook her head. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell, she was letting Santana leave her side with Dr. Isabelle there. "Shhh, okay, okay," Santana soothed. "Then we will talk to Dr. Isabelle and when therapy is over, we can get your pacifier okay?" she asked and Marley blinked back tears. "I'm right here baby girl, I'm not going anywhere I promise," Santana assured her and Marley didn't seem sure of this answer, so she carefully crawled her way into Santana's lap. She cuddled up close and rested against Santana with her back to Dr. Isabelle. She wasn't having therapy today if she could managed to control it. What she didn't know was that Dr. Isabelle was willing to talk to her, no matter what position she was in.

Santana kept her close and rubbed her back and Dr. Isabelle smiled. "Okay Marley, you can stay cuddled with Santana, but I have a few questions for you. Can you show me what a fi-ah is?" she asked and Marley started to cry; convinced that Dr. Isabelle was making fun of her.

"Mommy," Marley cried and she grabbed tighter to Santana, pleading to just be with her and she wanted Dr. Isabelle to go away. "I guh Mommy, I day," she panted, already getting ready to have a panic attack.

"Shhh, yes baby. You stay. You stay with Mommy and you are a very good girl," Santana assured her and Dr. Isabelle spoke up.

"Why do you think you have to leave Marley?" she asked her gently and Marley lost her mind. She started screaming and panicking. They were going to take her away from Santana. She put on the tightest grip she could on Santana and started shaking slightly, digging her fingers into Santana's body and with the warmer weather and shorted clothes, she was starting to get scratched.

"Ow, Marley," Santana scolded gently. She knew Marley was doing this out of fear, so she didn't want to yell too much. "Please wait, I'm going to sit her in my lap," Santana requested firmly and Isabelle nodded. This was one of those moments when Santana wished her baby girl was still little. If she sat Marley in her lap, she couldn't wrap her body around her in order to hide from Isabelle. If Santana sat behind her and used her arms and legs to wrap herself around Marley it would work out much better and Marley would melt slightly into it, curling up to be smaller herself. Santana took a good grip on Marley's body and carefully slipped both of them down to the floor. She spread her legs, turned her around and held Marley's back tight to her chest, wrapped her left arm under Marely's armpit and across her chest, having her hand rest on Marley's shoulder, while the right arm snuck around her waist and would gently squeeze and release. Santana's legs then came up and over Marley's legs, keeping her locked in place. Santana and Marley were now almost the same height, with Marley being a little shorter, so Santana dropped her chin a bit and began humming in her ear, over and over again, waiting for Marley to respond.

It took only a matter of minutes, before Marley began to squirm carefully in the tight grip, put her head on Santana's shoulder and held on, crying for reasons that only she would understand. "I know you think I'm the enemy Santana, but I'm not. I want to help her, but in order to do that, I have to ask my questions," Dr. Isabelle explained.

"I know that. I do," Santana assured her. "But your questions that make her react like this, make me doubt that this is a good idea. I look at her as my child and my job is to protect her however I can. When someone, anyone I know, makes her slip into this state, it takes me a great deal of time to trust them myself," Santana explained.

* * *

><p><strong>I would like to remind everyone that I welcome all feedback, whether you want to leave your name or you want to review as a guest. Either is fine with me. Also, only 2 - 4 more chapters left. <strong>

**Be well friends**


	45. Chapter 45

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you are all well. Sunday is going to be insane for me, so you get your update a day early.**

**Warnings for this chapter: None really...**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it.**

**I'd also like to say that all reviews, be it with leaving your name, or leaving one as a guest, are all welcome. I got EVERY SINGLE notification last time, but nothing posted for 24 hours due to some glitch with the website. That glitch was posted about on 8/18, or talked about as 8/18 and fixed on 8/20. I don't know. I'm not a computer person. thanks to all of those who have stuck with the story and know that this journey is coming to an end.**

**Be well friends**

* * *

><p>Therapy had been finished for a few hours now and Marley was still freaking out. She couldn't seem to calm down and Santana was starting to get angry. It felt like they'd taken a giant step backward and now they weren't even in the familiarity of their own apartment. They were in the nursery of the club and it seemed to be making Marley worse.<p>

Susan came in to straighten up the nursery and get it ready for the next day and as soon as Marley saw her, she screamed in fear, fell to the floor, burst into heart breaking sobs and tried to crawl away from Santana as fast as she could. "Nanny Susan, can you please get Miss Beth for me, I want her to see this," Santana said through gritted teeth and there were tears in her eyes as she spoke. She was trying to keep it together, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. It physically hurt her to watch her baby girl be so upset and distressed and there was nothing she could do about it. She was also probably in her deaf state again which just made things worse.

"Before I do, maybe I should give you some love first?" Susan suggested kindly and she pulled Santana into a tight hug, keeping her there, and within seconds Santana broke down too. "It's okay Santana. It's alright sweetheart," Susan cooed softly.

"I'm failing her. I have failed her and I did everything they asked me to do. I didn't fight, I swear, and look at her, she's a mess, she's even afraid of me," Santana cried.

"Shhh, sweetheart, listen to Nanny for a moment please," Susan said and she decided that she needed to treat one of the club's best Mistresses as if she were a little one in for a session. It was clear that there was too much tension in the room and it had gotten to Santana as well as Marley. "You and I are going to go sit in the rocking chair. You and I need to calm down and talk. You are not a little girl, but you are stressed and you could use a cuddle, whether you want to admit it or not, and I'm going to give it to you," she told her. She brought her to the rocking chair, sat down, had Santana sit next to her, and hugged her tightly, petting her face gently and helping her calm down some. "Now," Susan started once Santana calmed down, "why do you think you have failed?" she asked.

"She's so scared. She was doing better. She hasn't had an episode like this since Mr. Joe said she had to start brushing her teeth by herself and even that wasn't this bad. I'm doing something wrong. She's so scared and no matter what I do, or say, nothing helps her. That's failing. My job was to care for her and show her that what she experienced was not the norm, and she doesn't believe that," Santana said.

"Are you sure about that?" Susan asked.

"Look at her. I can't even go near her," Santana whimpered.

"For the moment, yes, but think about everything you've done up till today. Think about how you helped her learn to communicate, accept a pacifier, and were constantly loving and consistent with her. She drinks by herself, eats by herself, tells you when she needs things or wants things, looks to you for guidance, and that's all because you did the job Miss Beth knew you could do," Susan assured her.

"Yeah, well I still feel like a failure," Santana said with a heavy pout and cuddled into Susan. She would never admit it but it didn't feel too bad to accept love and cuddles from Susan.

"I will go talk to Miss Beth and have her come see, but I'm telling you now, stay as calm as you can, or you will be finding yourself over Beth's knee," she said and she gave her a kiss to the top of her head and left the room.

Santana took a deep breath and moved to the floor. "Marley my love, I'm right here sweetheart. It's Mommy Santana. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here baby girl and I want to cuddle you, but I can see how tense you are, so I'm not going to push. I just want you to know that I'm here for you and I want you to come cuddle. I really think it will help you," Santana told her. Marley's eyes darted around the room as she struggled to breathe and finally her eyes landed on Santana.

"MOMMY!" she screamed and with great difficulty, she crawled her way over to Santana and curled up in her lap, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her lungs burned from her struggle to breathe.

"Oh, my sweet baby girl, I am so sorry that you are so scared. I wish that I could help you to know what was sure and true," Santana said. "I had hoped that my actions were enough, but it's only been three months, so that's asking a lot of you in three months. It's probably asking a lot of myself as well," she said thoughtfully. She wrapped her arms tighter around her little girl and Marley sunk down, which allowed Santana to rest her cheek on top of Marley's head. "I love you so much, and I know that we are about to throw you for a loop and obviously therapy sucks for you right now, but please know that I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever, well maybe when I'm a really old lady, but you'll be really old at that point too, so I'm not really concerned about it," she said honestly.

Marley snuggled in closer and just rested. She heard a beat, a very soft and steady beat, and that beat made her close her eyes and try to rest. "You're about to make a liar out of me aren't you?" Santana smiled. "Nanny Susan and Miss Beth are going to come through the door any minute and see me, holding my baby, who is no longer screaming or freaking out, or locked in spasm," she said. She was glad Marley was feeling better and resting, because she definitely needed it, but she wasn't thrilled that Beth wasn't seeing what was going on.

The door opened and Beth gave a kind smile when she saw the sight before her. "I have cameras every where Santana, you know that," she said kindly, walking over to them carefully and taking a seat on the floor. She handed her a pacifier and Santana smiled gratefully. "It's one of yours, her bag was just outside the door," she said. "Talk to me," Beth said, but it wasn't a conversational statement, it was an order.

Santana put the pacifier in Marley's hand and slowly Marley felt it and inched it to her mouth. "I still feel like I'm failing. I feel overwhelmed, and out numbered and like I'm not doing the right thing for her and now Dr. Isabelle is freaking her out. She had a total melt down and was afraid of me. She's only been afraid of me once before, and even then, not that bad. I just feel like I'm not doing her justice and I don't know how to fix it, and while I'm extremely grateful and appreciative of all your help, I don't like Dr. Isabelle, she's hurting my baby," Santana said as politely as possible and Beth saw her efforts, she knew Santana was trying.

"I did see the tape sweetheart. I saw what happened, and I heard. I will talk to her, because I do agree. I think today Isabelle pushed too fast and too far and that is why Marley panicked. I also think it's a good sign, she's back in your arms and that happened organically. You didn't call her to you or continually try to get through the fog of her brain. She zeroed in on you and went to you on her own. That is a good thing. That is progress. Take her home. Rest. Both of you. I know you and Quinn will be back with both your little ones tomorrow, and I'll talk to Isabelle by then and let you know what the game plan should be. I think Isabelle knows exactly what she's doing, because I wouldn't have called her, if I didn't, but I think she doesn't know the repercussions of her specific techniques and that's what's freaking you out. You'll take the day tomorrow and we'll get it all sorted out, okay?" Beth asked, but Santana knew it wasn't really a question. She nodded and Beth smiled. "I wasn't wrong Santana, you know by now that I rarely am. You are the best thing to ever happen to Marley and while working with Isabelle is tough right now, it won't be like this forever," Beth told her kindly.

* * *

><p>It took some time but eventually Santana got Marley home and the poor girl regressed even further than she had at the club. One look at Rachel and she started to cry. She sunk down to the floor and began sobbing. "Why are we freaking out?" Rachel asked walking over to her and helping her up into her arms. She held her close and swayed slowly from side to side, rubbing her back and it took a few minutes for it to sink in as to where she was and then Marley rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.<p>

"And how was your day?" Santana asked and Rachel simply smiled.

"What would you like me to do to help?" Rachel asked.

"I really don't know," Santana said honestly. "Where are Quinn, Kurt, and Noah?" she asked realizing they should be home now.

"In the other room, trying to get Noah to calm down, because he came back from pre-op much the same as she is now," Rachel said.

"Is there like a full moon or something?" Santana asked angrily. She wasn't mad at Marley, or Noah, or her girlfriend, or either of her room mates, she was just mad that there was a problem for her baby that she couldn't fix. If she was being honest, she was mad she couldn't fix it for Noah either, because he was now her baby too.

"Hey, hey, hey," Quinn said appearing from the bedroom. "Can we keep it down to a dull roar please?" she asked with a smile and Santana looked ready to scream. "Sorry, sorry, I was teasing," Quinn said holding up her hands. Santana was apparently just as stressed as the kids were. Quinn walked over to Rachel and stood behind her falling into the swaying rhythm Rachel had going. Marley was hiccuping softly at this point and Quinn saw her fighting sleep. Her eyes would close and then open slowly again. "You are very close to having a sleeping little girl," Quinn whispered to Rachel who simply nodded.

"Marley baby, what if Marley and Mama cuddle on the couch hmm? We can lay down and watch Mary Poppins," she said softly and Marley nodded. Rachel very carefully sat down on the couch stretched out and guided Marley on top of her. Marley's ear went straight to her chest and she whimpered until she heard the heartbeat and then stopped whimpering and focused on the television as Rachel pressed play on the remote.

Quinn moved over to Santana and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Would you like to punch something or scream?" she asked her knowingly.

"I can't do any of those things here," Santana said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, you misunderstand. You and I are going out. We are going to go out and punch or scream, or kick, or throw, or whatever we can think of, to get rid of this pent up stress. Our little ones need us at our best and right now, we are not."

"How are you so calm?" Santana asked angrily although Quinn knew she didn't mean it as an attack.

"I'm about forty seconds away from scary!Quinn. We need to get out of here now, because I can only keep my calm for so long. We have sitters and nearly sleeping children. We need to sneak out now," Quinn said softly and Santana nodded. They really did need to get out of the house. They each needed to find out what was wrong with the other little one, work out all their frustrations, and then figure out a plan.

Quinn picked up her phone and looked around the room. She was trying to figure out where Rachel's phone was so she could text her. Santana seemed to pick up on it and very quietly shuffled across the floor, set her phone to silent and gave it to Rachel. Quinn texted a message to Santana's phone and Rachel nodded yes and Quinn took Santana out of the apartment.

"I can't stand leaving her and I hate that she has to go through all this crap in order to "get better" when there is nothing wrong with her! She is a perfectly normal, now healthy, young lady and my little girl! What the fuck is wrong with people!" Santana yelled once they were on the street. It was New York City, her ranting was completely ignored.

"If you don't leave her, you're going to blow up, possibly at her, or Noah, and then the shits really going to hit the fan," Quinn told her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she grumbled.

"So tell me, what happened?" Quinn said.

"No. You first," Santana said. She was too angry and it wasn't going to come out correctly.

"Noah's freaking out because he is all clear for his eye surgery, however he is going to be awake while they stick him with needles and I can't be in there with him," Quinn said.

"Awake?" Santana asked in surprise.

"Awake and they showed us the needle to take him through the procedure and how it will work. All he made out was the scary sharp pointy thing, but told me, he was going to be brave, because he'd be asleep. Then the doctor corrected him and said he'd be awake. Apparently for most eye surgeries you're awake. The second he heard that, he started to cry. Then he called me Mommy, because that was who he needed me to be, and then the doctor asked him why he was so upset. It was a terrible pre-op appointment and he's absolutely terrified. He told me he wants to see, so he can see Marley, so he can convince her how beautiful she is, because he loves her, but he doesn't want to be awake. He wants to go to sleep, have it done, and wake up," Quinn said.

"Oh my God," Santana said.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"Did he really say that?"

"What?"

"That he loves her," Santana said.

"Oh, that, yeah, he does. He loves her and is completely prepared to do anything and everything it takes in order to help her see that she is lovable and loved, because according to him, she doesn't believe that," Quinn said. Santana screamed and kicked a nearby garbage can, making it rattle and grabbing the attention of several passers by. "Was that really necessary?" Quinn asked.

"Yes!" Santana barked.

"Well why?" Quinn asked.

"For that very reason. There is a nineteen year old girl, soon to be twenty, upstairs in our apartment, who thinks that she is unloved, and worth nothing. Do you know what that is doing to me? I don't know how to repair her and I hate using any of those words because for fuck's sake, she's not broken! She just fell into the wrong hands and was tortured for months! I have been with her, steadily, for what feels like forever and she still doesn't believe I will be with her, and love her until the day I die, because I will," Santana said.

"Okay, back up, refocus. What happened at therapy?" Quinn said kindly.

"They pissed her off," she sighed. "Dr. Isabelle got her to a point where she was completely vulnerable. She just became this big raw nerve ending and apparently when that happens she goes deaf. She doesn't hear anything and all she does is cry for her Mommy, which I'm pretty sure isn't me, and then promises to be a good girl until the cows come home. I can't sit there and listen to it anymore, and the second Isabelle shows up, she thinks I'm leaving her. I think the most painful part of all of this, is that I can't get her to trust me. It's like, I did too good of a job and she is afraid she's failing me somehow," Santana said and Quinn looked at her with confusion. "We made it too good, too safe, too perfect," Santana sighed.

"Well I don't think Miss Beth wanted you to beat her up," Quinn offered, trying to tease her girlfriend a little bit and lighten the tension that seemed to surround them, even on the streets of New York. Santana glared.

"Not helping," she growled.

Quinn's phone buzzed and Santana got tense. She prayed it wasn't a text from her phone and sadly, it was. "Kids are freaking out, both need Mommy, please come home," Quinn read and Santana screamed in frustration. "We'll figure it out Santana, it's just going to take a lot longer than we wanted. You and I however, you and I are going to call Nanny Susan and ask her to watch the kids, then we're going to call our favorite dom, and get ourselves appointments at the club. For us. We need it, and us taking time for ourselves, it's not a bad thing," Quinn said.

"It's just so much guilt. How can I do something for me, when I know that she needs me so much. She needs me to be with her and reassure her and help her understand things," Santana said.

"That's why you do it. That's why we do it. Our little ones are more important to us than anyone else in the world. That's probably how it should be, because that is what they want or need or in there case, deserve. If we are not at our best, and don't give ourselves a little pleasure every now and then, how do we expect to give them the best. I hate to break it to you, but we're human, and we need care and love and affection too," Quinn said. "Now, come here," Quinn said and she pulled Santana to her and kissed her fiercely. Once it broke she grinned. "I've been wanting to do that since last night," she said. "You may be an ice queen but you're my ice queen, and I love you."

Santana gave a mischievous look, and smacked Quinn's ass firmly before pulling her close and grabbing her flesh possessively. "I've been wanting to do that, for quiet some time," she said. "I love you too," she said seriously.

"We have babies to get to," Quinn said and she gave Santana a quick kiss and then lead her back to the apartment. "We walk the stairs. We give ourselves a chance to prepare," she said seriously and Santana nodded, it sounded like a good plan.

The two of them walked up the stairs and by the time they entered the apartment, Marley was bent over the sink and throwing up anything that was still left in her stomach, crying and begging for her Mommy while swearing to be a good girl. Over in the living room Noah was having a similar panic attack. He wanted Marley to calm down and he wanted Santana and Quinn to come home, to help reassure them both. Right now, he trusted Kurt and Rachel to sit with him, but there was always notification of approximately when Quinn and Santana would return to him. Today there wasn't, and because Marley was so worked up, he figured they weren't coming back at all.

"Mommy!" he cried out and it was a heart breaking noise that Quinn hadn't heard before. It was a new cry. One that was filled more with desperation and fear than Quinn had ever heard before.

"She'll be here very soon buddy, I promise," Kurt said kindly and Noah started to fight him.

"NO! MOMMY!" he screamed. Quinn moved quickly over to him and took his hand tightly, squeezing it, the way she did when he laced his fingers into hers. It was his thing, and she picked up on it quickly.

"Shhh, I'm right here bud, you're okay," Quinn said.

"No, Mommy!" he said panicked and she carefully pet the side of his face.

"Yes baby, Mommy's here, you're okay," she told him.

"No, no no. Mar-ree. No ur-ree. No! Mommy make it right," he cried and he fell into her sobbing.

She gathered him close and kept him tight against her and then looked at Kurt. He looked confused. "When we went for the pre-op appointment, they told him, he has to be awake for surgery and he's rightfully nervous, but the worst part is that I can't be with my baby. They won't let me in the room, because of hospital rules and this is not something Miss Beth can fix. I already tried."

"No b-b-br-ave. Not a-wone, I can't," he cried holding tighter to him.

"Shhh, Noah calm down baby and listen to Mommy," Quinn said gently.

"Mar-ree keem," he hiccuped.

"Marley's screaming, because Marley had a nightmare and until she fully wakes up and realizes what is going on, she's going to be upset. Right now, I need you to listen to Mommy," Kurt told him. Quinn smiled and nodded.

"The thing that you think you don't have, you have it," Quinn assured him. He was sure he could never be authoritative when it came to these kids. He loved them too much and wanted to give them everything, so he usually caved a lot of the time. "Noah, you're scared because of surgery. I know that, and that's okay. I'm glad you're scared. I'd be a little worried, if you weren't a little bit nervous, but you have to tell me why you're so scared, what do you think is going to happen?"

"Roo-n me. No eee, ever," he whimpered staying pressed into Quinn's body.

"Ah I see, you think the doctors won't be careful?" she asked him and he nodded. "Did you know doctors take an oath?" she asked and he shook his head and then tried to look to Marley when she screamed. "I know it's scary bud and I know you think she's in pain, but she's not in pain, she's confused and Marley is a screamer, so focus on me right now okay? As soon as she's calm, I promise we will go see her," Quinn assured him.

"But Mar-ree," he cried.

"I know bud, but first Noah, then Marley," she tried and he shook his head and leaned into her. He wanted no part of anything unless it was to help Marley. Quinn wasn't happy that he didn't want to talk anymore, but she was really glad, he felt that he could be stubborn with her and still be safe, so she gathered him tight in her arms and held him before looking to Kurt. "Please make my lady bug stop screaming," she told him kindly.

"I can try, but I make no promises," he said and he got up to see if he could help.

Marley had a death grip on Santana and she finally focused and looked at her properly. "Mommy," she panted, her lungs burning. "Mommy, don't leave. I be good, I swear," she told her.

"Marley, listen to Mommy, raise your hand when you hear me," she said and Marley simply nodded along. "No baby, when you hear me raise your hand," Santana said again. Marley nodded again and Rachel gave a curious look.

"This is new, what's happening?" Rachel asked.

"Santana's ignoring her," Kurt grumbled.

"Hey, Papa Bear!" Santana scolded him. "Cool it! I'm not. She can't hear me. She can't hear anything. Welcome to the new form of therapy!" she said.

"I still don't understand," Rachel said with frustration.

"Until she calms down, she is essentially deaf. She is willing to nod along and agree to anything we say until her hearing is restored, so to speak," Santana said.

"Marley's not deaf though," Rachel pointed out kindly.

"No, she's not. Not normally, but when she gets worked up and has what appears to be a massive amount of anxiety upon her, she can't hear anything."

"That doesn't make sense at all though, because when she got locked in the bathroom, she was anxious then, and we had an entire conversation.

"No, she was angry, she didn't feel any anxiety until she came out of the bathroom and we were able to hold her and comfort her. The threat of us leaving, seems to make her anxious and once that happens, she's deaf. Marley baby, when you hear Mommy, raise your hand," she said.

"And yet you keep giving her instructions, how is that going to help anything?" Kurt said protectively.

"I don't know okay?" she yelled at him. "I don't know, because I don't have a fucking clue as to what is going to help alright!" Santana yelled back at him and Quinn turned around quickly.

"Santana!" she barked.

"What!" Santana barked back and Noah seemed to shrink away into himself, while Marley continued to hold on to Santana and cry.

"Stop barking," Quinn said calmly and she shifted Noah in her lap a bit. She held him close and kept him wrapped in a hug. "It's okay bud. Auntie Tana is just having a bad day," she told him and he nodded but stayed quiet and pressed into Quinn.

"I know you don't know, it's okay that you don't know, I'm sorry I asked it like that," Kurt said and whether she wanted it or not, he wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her temple.

"That's my job," Quinn teased from the other room and Kurt turned and poked his tongue out at her.

"Marley baby, when you hear Mama, you raise your hand okay?" Rachel asked and Marley started to squirm. She turned to look at Rachel and hiccuped as tears ran down her cheeks. "Shhh, it's okay, keep looking at Mama," Rachel said kindly and Santana heard it in Rachel's voice. She saw something new. Something that Santana hadn't picked up on yet, mainly because Santana was so worked up herself.

"Fill everyone in please," Santana requested.

"We've talked about this, I am not your little girl," Rachel said kindly and she kept her eyes on Marely. She pet her face gently and then took a breath before speaking. "Look baby, look at Mommy," Rachel said and she pointed to Santana and Marley looked at her with fear.

"Shhh, it's just Mommy baby, look at me. When you hear Mommy, raise your hand, it's okay," she assured her.

"Look at her eyes. She's trying. She hears, but she seems confused, like she's almost calm, but not quite," Rachel said. "And don't get mad, but I have to ask, because maybe you know, or maybe you didn't think to ask. Does she know she's deaf?" Rachel asked.

"That I don't know, and no I didn't ask, but it won't be tomorrow. Tomorrow therapy is cancelled. Quinn and I will be having a session at work while they spend time with Nanny Susan," Santana said. "Look at Mommy Marley, when you hear me, raise your hand, you can do it, just keep breathing and then when you hear Mommy, raise your hand," she said. They kept telling her these instructions over and over and in the living room area Noah frowned.

"Mommy, they keep saying it," he said softly.

"They are my love. We need to know when Marley hears us and right now she doesn't. When she raises her hand, then we'll know she does hear us," Quinn explained. He nodded and watched from his seat in Quinn's lap. Oddly, he saw Marley as a little girls now, instead of the more grown up version that he loved so much. The difference was that even though Marley was in her baby state, he still loved her and wanted to tell her that.

"Please get better, Marley. I have to tell you, all of you, that you're worth loving and that I love you," he wished quietly to himself, but it wasn't quiet enough because Quinn heard him and smiled. She squeezed him a little tighter and kissed his temple.

"You are an awesome guy Noah, and I'm very proud to be in your life," she told him.


	46. Chapter 46

**Hello everyone,**

**I hope you are all well. Happy Sunday and happy last day of August.**

**Warnings for this chapter: This is the final chapter to Baby Steps**

**As always - thanks to to NayaFan, UnholyUnderBoob, & Beaner008 for their inspiration and encouragement. Also, many thanks to my followers, reviewers, and the people who send me lovely PM's and reminded me how much they like this story and why I continue to write it. I thank you all for coming on this journey with me. A five month journey, that while rocking at times, I'm glad I did it. All reviews are welcome and I want to thank you all again.**

****Be well friends****

* * *

><p>Marley sat at the kitchen table with her legos and was building and unbuilding. Nothing particular was being constructed or deconstructed she was just keeping busy while Santana fixed her a snack. Breakfast had been a long ordeal, not because there were any tantrums or melt downs, but everyone was so tired from all the drama the night before. Quinn and Noah were in the bathroom getting ready, Kurt was at a recording session and Santana and Marley were both dressed and in the kitchen. "What are you building love?" Santana asked her kindly and Marley shrugged. "Fair enough, can Mommy build too? We'll eat our snack together and build a tower, how's that?" she asked and Marley seemed to like that idea.<p>

Santana pulled the cheese sticks out of the oven and the marinara sauce out of the microwave. She put it all on the table and Marley smiled. She liked cheese sticks and Santana always made them just right. Rachel usually burnt the ends and Kurt left the middles frozen. She reached for a cheese stick and carefully broke it apart and before dipping it in the sauce. She was very intent on eating which Santana was grateful for. "So my daring girl, do you know what we're doing today?" she asked.

"Um, you an Auntie Quinn go work an' Noah an' me an' Nanny in a diff'n room," she said softly.

"You are the best listener ever," Santana told her and she gave her a kiss to her cheek.

"Mommy?" she asked. "Why you make me do dis now?" she asked softly as she raised her hand. She wanted to know the answer and Baby Girl Marley knew it was safe to ask all this. Big Girl Marley was hiding away somewhere and trembling violently and the only reason Santana knew that to be fact was because as Marley ate her cheese stick, her hand shook all over the place.

"Well, you know how sometimes people can get very upset and cry a lot?" Santana asked and Marley looked unsure. This did not sound like a good discussion. "It's okay baby, I cry a lot when I get really scared too," Santana said.

"You nev-ah kye Mommy," Marley smiled at her. "You b'ave an' st'ong," she told her.

"Mommy's brave and strong? Well thank you very much, but I assure you that I do cry," Santana told her. "But sometimes when anyone cries they get really really upset and it's hard to calm down and listen to what's going on around them, so when I see you get like that, I ask you to raise your hand, so I know you're calm and you can hear me fully," Santana said. She was dancing around the issue as best she could. She was fairly sure that she shouldn't tell the toddler before her that she sometimes went deaf when she was very upset.

Marley seemed content with this answer and ate her snack slowly and carefully, pretty much all on her own, having Santana feed her the very last bite, before Noah and Quinn finally emerged from the bathroom. "Mommy? When I be big I still do dis?" she asked raising her hand.

"Marley, I will only ever ask you raise your hand, if I think you're too upset to fully hear me. Do you want a different signal maybe?" Santana offered and Marley seemed to think about that for a moment. It was as good a signal as anything else, so she shook her head.

"No, is okay," she said finally and she put together a few more blocks. "Mommy? What we do wif Nanny?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you and Noah will watch a movie or play some games, or color, or go on the rocking horse. I don't know if he's seen that, I'm sure he'd love it if you showed it to him," Santana said and Marley's eyes brightened. She loved that rocking horse, more than any other toy in the room.

"Where Papa?" she asked

"Papa is at a recording session today," Santana said.

"Wha' dat?" she asked.

"Well, he goes to a studio and they give him a piece of paper and he has to read what's on it. Once he learns the lines, the producer tells him how to say it. If he should change his voice to be higher or lower, or maybe he has to sound sad, or maybe happy, or maybe romantic, but they give him instructions and then he does it and they keep doing it, until the producer is happy with what they hear," Santana explained.

"What he cording?" Marley asked.

"Papa got a job for a big ad agency, so he's recording a commercial. One day we will hear Papa's voice on television," Santana said.

"Yay Papa!" Marley smiled clapping her hands for him.

"Yes, yay Papa," Santana smiled and she leaned in and kissed Marley on the tip of her nose. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too Mommy," Marley grinned.

* * *

><p>Susan opened the door to the nursery and smiled when she saw Marley sitting on the rocking horse, explaining it to Noah. "Come, you sit wif me, an we can play togeth-ah," she grinned and Quinn felt Noah go tense. He seemed to be uneasy in the nursery where as Marley seemed perfectly at ease.<p>

"Well, well, I have two lovely friends joining me today," Susan smiled when she walked into the room.

"Nanny!" Marley cried happily. "Nanny, dis is Noah. Hims my bruh-va," she said proudly and she didn't notice his face fall a little bit. He wanted to be so much more than her brother.

"Well it's nice to meet you Noah, my name is Nanny Susan, but you can just call me Nanny, like Marley does," she told him. "Since you are Marley's brother, does that mean Santana is your Mommy?" she asked and Noah immediately liked this woman. She was kind and caring and didn't show any tones of judgement in her voice. However, he was now somehow embarrassed and decided he didn't want to answer, so Marley spoke for him.

"Nanny, his mouf hurts him. Terri was very mean to him too, but he's getting better. He'll be able to say them soon," she smiled as she rocked on the horse.

"That's very good news, are you showing him how to play on the horse?" she asked.

"Mhmm, I want to ride togevah, can we?" she asked.

"Carefully yes, you can," Susan smiled and Quinn looked at Noah.

"Would you like help bud? You can ride with Marley if you like," she offered. He nodded so she smiled and guided Noah up on to the horse. "Hold on to Marley buddy," Quinn told him and Marley used her own hands to wrap Noah's around her waist and then she snuggled into him. He was warm and smelled good to her. She liked cuddling with him. She sometimes wished she could lay with her entire family all the time. They all made her feel so safe and comfortable, and today would be better, because even though her Mommy was leaving for a little while, she still had Noah with her and Nanny was a very nice woman in general.

Quinn and Santana moved back slowly, watching Nanny Susan interact with the little ones and Quinn wrapped Santana in a tight hug. "He is freaking out and trying to remain calm all at the same time. I don't know that this is a good idea," she whispered.

"He'll be fine. I'm pretty sure Nanny will make sure he doesn't hyperventilate or freak out," Santana said.

"You're not helping," Quinn grimaced.

"Okay, so tell me what you're afraid of," Santana said softly.

"He sees her be a baby at home, so to speak, and to a degree he's my baby, our baby, but he's not into this. This is too much for him. I can see it in his eyes," Quinn said protectively.

"Well do you want to talk to him about it before we leave?" Santana asked her.

"Well what do you recommend I tell him?"

"I don't know," Santana said. "What are you most concerned about?" she pressed, wanting to help her girlfriend out as much as possible, but when she looked over all she saw were two little ones playing on the rocking horse.

"I just don't want him to think I'm forcing him into this world that he doesn't seem to want," she said.

"Then you should pull him aside and tell him that," Santana said seriously but kindly.

Quinn nodded and carefully moved back into their personal space. "Noah buddy, can I talk to you for one quick minute?" she asked him and he slipped off the horse carefully with Nanny's guidance, she didn't touch him, and then he walked over to Quinn rather quickly and Marley looked concerned.

"I come?" Marley asked.

"No lady bug, stay there, we'll just be a quick minute, I promise," Quinn smiled at her and she took Noah's hand and lead him over to the bank of counter tops. "Buddy, are you okay?" she asked him.

"I fine," he said softly.

"Okay, because if you aren't, I want you to tell me," she said gently, petting his hair and lacing her fingers into his with her free hand, knowing that was a comfortable feeling for him. "I just want you to be assured of something before I leave for a little while okay? If you don't want to do something, Nanny Susan will not force you. Marley is comfortable around all the baby like things, but if you aren't, that is totally okay, and we won't force you okay?" she asked him, trying to look him in the eye and be serious with him, show him she cared and wanted nothing but the best for him.

"It okay Kin, I okay. Mar-ree i' happy. I okay," he told her.

"I'm glad that you know Marley is happy, but I want you to be happy too okay? You are just as important and loved as Marley is," she told him. He nodded and squeezed her hand.

"I okay Kin, go an' den come back," he said. She smiled kissed his cheek, and then she and Santana left the room.

"Noah," Marley said kindly. "You come rock wif me?" she asked him.

"Okay," he said and Susan stood back and watched. He carefully put his arms out and she guided him toward the rocking horse and she clapped her hands for him when he got to her. She took his hand and his heart melted. He thought she was the best woman on the planet and when Marley touched him, the feelings he had for her, grew exponentially. He could only hope that she felt the same as he did.

* * *

><p>Santana was panting heavily as she laid on the floor, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and Danielle knelt next to her, helping her to sit up and giving her a cup of water to sip from. "How do you feel now Miss Rivers?" she smirked.<p>

"Where's Quinn?" she panted.

Danielle shook her head and sighed. "Only you would ask about someone else when you're asked to answer a question about yourself," she sighed. "Quinn is in the other room, so I don't know anything about what's going on with her. What I need to know, is what's going on with you," Danielle said.

"I need a new house to hold six people. My little girl is much closer to becoming potty trained, so to speak, and Quinn's "little boy" who is potentially not so little is in love with Marley," Santana said and then took a sip of water. "Does that answer all your questions?" she asked.

"Yes, you fresh little brat," Danielle laughed. "Tell me more about the house," she said. It wasn't a question. They weren't in the session any more. Santana had her orgasm and time was officially over, but she was a co-worker who was asking simple general questions, so she decided that it would be okay to share information.

"My room mate may very well have a good job lined up, and if all goes well, we're all going to pool our money and buy a house, somewhere just outside the city. We need more space, the six of us together are stepping on each other and while Quinn wasn't going to move in with us, she is now, because we're, well we rely on each other. She needs guidance for dealing with little ones, if she in fact has a little one, we still aren't sure," Santana said trying to be vague.

"I think it's great that the "kids' are latching on to each other. I think it's a very smart move for you all to stay together," Danielle offered. "And I may be able to help you out a bit with the house thing. My real estate agent is wonderful and if you give her your budget and must have list, I'm sure she'll be able to help you out. Do you want her card?" Danielle offered.

"Yes, that would be great," Santana said honestly and Danielle smiled.

"Stay here, drink more water, I'll go get the information and bring it back to you," she said and stepped out of the room.

Santana leaned back on the exam table and breathed a sigh of relief. The door clicked and Santana turned to see Quinn entering. "I wasn't expecting to see you," she smiled as Quinn came closer and climbed up on the exam table with her, kissing her cheek, the two of them rolling on their sides in order to be in the small space together.

"Did you enjoy your session?" Quinn asked kissing Santana quickly on the lips.

"I did, and don't be too affectionate, Mercy is on her way back with info on her real estate agent and the only ones who know about us, are Berry, Hummel, and the kids," she said softly.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Quinn promised.

"What kind of house would you like to think about?" Santana asked her.

"We should have the kids draw it up for us. A basic floor plan; bedrooms and bathrooms and such. We can help them and then this way, we all get our say as to what will be best for all of us," Quinn said thoughtfully.

"I like that," Santana smiled. "Now stand back up, Mercy is going to be here any second," she said. Quinn playfully slapped the underside of Santana's thigh and then kissed her fiercely.

"You're fresh," Quinn scolded playfully and then stood up the second Mercy stepped into the room.

"Hi Quinn, I didn't know you'd be finished so soon. I hear you're looking for a house, so here's my agent's card. She is fabulous," Danielle grinned.

"Thanks Dani, we appreciate it. The "kids" appreciate it too, but I don't know that they would be able to verbalize that to you, without freaking out," Quinn said kindly.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't subject them to me. I'm frightening," she giggled.

"You're wonderful," Santana smiled and she sat up on the exam table and kissed Danielle gently on her cheek.

"Made you feel good there, did she?" Quinn smirked and Santana nodded but blushed. She wasn't sure if Quinn was getting jealous or not.

"She did," she said and she smiled at Quinn with her eyes. The two of them were very careful at the club. No one had figured them out, as far as they were aware.

"I'm just doing my job. I will leave you to clean up and discuss things with each other and possibly your kids," she said and with a quick kiss to each of them, she left the room.

Santana grabbed Quinn when she wasn't expecting it and pulled her into the tightest hug she could. "You make me feel better. You do things to me, that no one else could possibly know about," she whispered hotly in Quinn's ear.

"You do similar things," Quinn said. "I think I'd like to spank you though. Telling another woman she's fabulous right in front of me," Quinn scolded.

"But Quinn," Santana said trying to back pedal as fast as she could.

Quinn chuckled and pulled Santana close. "Stop. I'm teasing. I did the same thing, you just weren't in the room. Focus though babe. Tell me about this house thing. When do we call this woman, Molly apparently, and when do we bring this up to the kids. Also when do we go get the kids, I'm worried about Noah," she said honestly.

"I love you," Santana grinned and she pulled Quinn down to the exam table, lying on top of her, and covering her in sweet little kisses.

"Stop," Quinn giggled. "We're gonna get caught, and you don't want anyone to know," she said smiling happily and Santana placed kisses in all very random places on her body.

"I'm wound up and you're just too delicious, I can't just stop," Santana said.

"You're a dork," Quinn said rolling her eyes and she lifted up slightly and gave her a passionate kiss.

* * *

><p>The girls walked into the nursery and Marley seemed to be angry, because she and Noah were fighting and Nanny Susan was just sitting back on guard, waiting to stop a physical violence should it occur, but that didn't seem to be happening.<p>

"No! I'm not bad!" Marley yelled.

"I didn't ay you were!" Noah yelled back at her. He really wanted his S's to come back. If he spoke softly they did, but the louder he got, the harder it was to articulate things.

"Yes you did!" she accused him.

"No!" he defended. "I ay I didn't want to. I never ay you couldn't!"

"It's no fun without you!"

"I don't want to. I don't like it!"

"It's not a baby game! Mommy plays it with me!" she yelled.

"I don't want to!" he repeated angrily and Santana raised her hand and smiled at Susan.

"Is everything alright?" she asked her.

"Oh yes, they've been doing this for a while now, but it's nothing I haven't heard my own children do," Susan smiled.

"Mommy!" Marley cried and she crawled over to Santana and then pulled herself up to standing, with minimal effort. "Mommy, make Noah play with me," she demanded.

"Excuse me little one, that is not how you talk to anyone at all, you know much better," Santana scolded her.

"Auntie Quinn, make him," she whined softly.

"Ah, ah, ah, no, look at me now," Santana said sternly. She wasn't messing around with this. "Marley Rose, what is Mommy's number one rule?" she asked her seriously and Marley clammed up. She didn't want to say, because she knew she'd broken it. "I can be very patient when necessary little girl," Santnaa said seriously.

Marley huffed and decided to answer. "Be p'lite," she mumbled.

"And were you just now?" Santana asked.

Marley thought about it for a moment, replaying it in her head. "Auntie, please make him play with me," she tried.

"Nice try, but no. You are trying to force Noah to play a game he doesn't want to play?" Santana asked her.

"He said it was a baby game and it isn't, cause you play it with me and Mama does too," she whined.

"I DID NOT!" Noah shouted.

"Noah, do not shout," Quinn scolded calmly.

"Calm down," Santana said kindly. "What game is it?" Santana asked.

"Dat one," Marley said slipping into her younger state, feeling she was safer there, as she pointed to the see and say that was on the floor.

"Noah doesn't have to play with that, if he doesn't want to. You could always ask Nanny Susan to play with you," Santana said.

"But I wanna pway wif Noah," she whined and Santana glanced at the clock.

"Well right now, you are going to apologize to Nanny Susan for having a screaming match in her room, and then you are going to apologize to Noah for trying to force him to do something he didn't want to do, and then we are going to go home and you are going to have your snack," Santana said and Marley pouted. None of that sounded fun to her.

"But Mommy," she whined.

"No buts young lady, apologize to Nanny Susan," Santana said and she kissed her cheek and carefully backed away. Marley slowly slipped down to the floor and crawled over to Nanny Susan, on the verge of tears.

"I sorries Nanny," she whimpered.

"Come here darling," Susan said kindly and she drew Marley up into her arms and hugged her. "Nanny loves you very much my sweet girl and that was a very nice apology. You listened very well to what Mommy told you," Susan said and she nodded but still whimpered. She didn't want to apologize to Noah though. He'd made her angry and hurt her feelings. He played all these games with her at home. They played with light brights and legos, her wooden letter blocks, her little piano, all of the "baby" toys that she had, but now that they were out, he wouldn't play with her. Big girl Marley figured he was embarrassed to be seen with her and Baby girl Marley simply took it as an insult that he didn't want to play.

"One more Marley, you're doing very well," Santana said, encouraging Marley to move along. She felt better after her session and things seemed a bit clearer. Scolding Marley wasn't as tough as it was hours ago. She made a mental note to give Quinn a proper thank you later that evening.

"But Mommy," Marley whined.

"I don't have all day baby, come on, apology and then home for lunch," Santana said.

"Fine, I sorries," she pouted and Santana went to scold her but Quinn held up her hand. She heard something in Marley's voice, but only because she worked with the little ones all the time.

"Noah, what do you say," Quinn coached.

"Thanks," he said softly and he felt his heart being crushed. He wanted to give Marley ever ounce of support he could, to love her and care for her and ultimately be her boyfriend. Maybe even her husband one day. He truly loved her, but he just couldn't support her baby self when they were out in public and it was killing him. Everyone else seemed to be able to do it, but he just couldn't bring himself to that place. He was seventeen and as far as he was concerned everyone was around him, looking at him, judging him, for things he hadn't even done. He was just there, in a space, and one look from one person, no matter where he was, meant he was being judged, he was sure of it.

* * *

><p>When they got home the "kids" went in two different directions, both of them were a bit sore about what had happened and sore physically from all the movement between the club and home. Santana went to go after Marley, but Quinn stopped her. "I think we should switch for the moment," she said kindly. "You go talk to Noah, see what you can drag out of him, and I will talk to Marley," Quinn said.<p>

"She needs to be changed," Santana said.

"I can do it. I signed up to work with the babies, remember?" she teased her. "Just be gentle with him. If you start at the right tone, he'll tell you everything you want to know," she told her. Santana nodded and they went to talk to their other little one, to see if there was something they could help with.

"Marley," Quinn called into the bedroom. "Marley can Auntie come in and help you?" she asked.

"Yes," she whimpered softly. Quinn entered and saw a very sad looking little girl in the middle of the bed, curled up into a tight little ball.

"There's my lady bug," Quinn said and she sat next to her and just rubbed her back gently. "Is there anything I can help you with, or you maybe want to talk about?" Quinn offered.

"No, I mad," she said slipping immediately into her little girl form.

"Well it's not good that you're mad, I hope you stop being mad soon," Quinn said. "Maybe I can help you change though?" Quinn offered.

"Where Mommy?" she asked.

"She went to go talk to Noah, because he looked pretty mad too. Can I tell you a secret?" she asked in a tone that was very appealing to the little girl before her. "Mommy thinks you're mad at her and I think Noah's mad at me," Quinn said.

"I don' know bow him, but I mad at Mommy an' Noah," she pouted.

"You are?" Quinn asked feigning surprise. She knew why she was mad at Santana, she figured it out in the nursery, she wasn't sure why she was mad at Noah. "Well you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but know that I'll listen. But before we do any of that, I should change you, yeah?" Quinn asked.

"Um, wif Teddy an' a door open," she demanded.

"Ask it nicely," Quinn said kindly, not moving one muscle or showing any sign of disappointment on her face. Marlye was too close to the tipping point and she didn't need a tantrum.

"Pease door open an' Teddy," she said.

"That was very lovely my little Lady Bug, kisses for Marley?" she asked leaning in just a bit. When Marley nodded Quinn leaned all the way down and rolled her gently on to her back, before kissing her cheek noisily making the younger girl giggle. "Stay still I will get everything we need," she told her and she carefully moved around the bedroom, gathering the clean diaper, some baby wipes, Teddy Bear, and then pushed the door open all the way, so Marley could see into the other room. She couldn't see anything other than the fridge, but at least it was life outside there and people could see in if trouble arose.

Quinn went back to the bed and knelt up next o Marley. "On your back please my love," she said handing her Teddy Bear. Marley rolled over and yawned. "My goodness, are you tired my sweet girl?" she asked her.

"No, I mad," Marley said simply.

"Oh yes, I forgot, I'm sorry," Quinn said and Marley waited a minute before speaking.

"He juss so mean. He p'ays wif me here, why not dere?" she asked honestly. She really didn't understand why Noah wouldn't play any games with her at the nursery. He did it all at home, why was work so different.

"I don't know sweetheart, I think you would have to ask him that. I know that Noah only calls me Mommy when he's really freaking out and stressed. Perhaps, he just didn't feel like being so young at the time," Quinn offered.

"I mad at Mommy too," she pouted, because clearly Quinn had the right answer and Marley didn't want to admit that it was a possibility. He was her brother and brothers were supposed to play with sisters, that's how it worked. That's how she heard it worked. She was an only child, so she wasn't entirely sure.

"Why are you mad at Mommy, but lift your hips for me please," Quinn said kindly and Marley did as asked. Quinn exchanged the old diaper for the new one and smiled when Marley let her legs fall open so Quinn could clean her up. The trust Marley was showing was truly amazing for having known Quinn for not that long.

"Her 'bar'iss me," she said sadly.

"She did?" Quinn asked. "What made you embarrassed?" she pressed carefully.

"Noah was 'posed a pway wif me, an' he didn'. He said I baby an he not, but here he p'ays. It's not dif'int," she ranted. "Den Mommy made me say sorry, but I not!" she told Quinn honestly.

"Well I can't do anything about that, but maybe later, we can talk to Noah and see why he wouldn't play with you at the club okay?" she offered and Marley nodded. It sounded reasonable to her. "Shall we go into the other room and have lunch?" Quinn offered. "I'm making my famous grilled cheese and tomato soup," she said. Marley smiled, nodded, and lifted her arms up so Quinn could help her. She also needed a few extra cuddles to take away her bad mood.

* * *

><p>In the other room, Santana had found Noah over by the toys, and he was constructing and deconstructing legos, the same as Marley had done earlier in the day. "Can I join you buddy?" Santana asked and he shrugged, so she cautiously took a seat and joined in. She grabbed a few different color blocks and build them up and then tore them down, rearranging the design of them.<p>

"Tana," Noah finally said.

"Yeah bud?"

"Not fair. I didn't want it," he told her.

"What was that Noah?" Santana asked kindly.

"Be baby," he said softly.

"Someone made you be a baby?" she asked him.

"Mar-ree wanted," he said.

"Oh, I see," she said and she continued to focus on the blocks. Of what he could see, he decided to match pace with her. He took the same blocks she had and carefully copied her. When she realized what he was doing, she slowed down a bit. "You know what, I agree with you. It wasn't fair for Marley to make you be a baby today. What did she do?" Santana asked.

"You hit her?" he asked.

"No. I won't hit her at all but I will talk to her. No one should be forced to do something they don't want to do. You and Marley know that better than anyone, because of what Terri did to the both of you," Santana explained and they fell into a comfortable silence, constructing and deconstructing blocks.

"Tana, I don't wanna be her bruh-ver. I wanna be her boy f-end," he pushed out carefully.

"I think that's very nice that you want that Noah, but you have to tell her. I don't think Malrey has figured that out," Santana told him kindly. "Now I know you may not want to just come right out and blurt it in her face or something, but I do think you need to find a time to tell her," Santana explained to him.

"Af-ter my ur-ree," he said and then he bowed his head in frustration. "Tana, when I get aww my etta back," he said.

"I don't know bud. Everyone's body heals differently, so perhaps yours is still getting there," she said kindly. "Maybe, I can talk to Miss Beth for you and see if she can get you a speech therapist to help you out, but that would be your decision," she told him and he nodded.

"I t-eh Mar-ree af-ter my ur-ree," he said.

"What do you want to tell her bud?" Santana asked.

"Dat I be her boy f'end not her bruh-ver," he said.

"I think that's very brave of you Noah, and I think it's a very good idea that you want to talk to Marley about the relationship you have with her. I have a question for you though, okay?" she asked him and he nodded. "What if Marley isn't ready for that type of relationship?" she asked him.

"Den I wait. Her Tana," he said seriously. "I vuv her," he insisted.

"Can I tell you that I love you too?" Santana asked him and he nodded. "I do love you Noah, and I will make sure that I protect you and look out for you and support you, just as much as Quinn does," she told him.

* * *

><p>The next day was Noah's surgery and he woke up feeling very nervous and concerned. He didn't want to see the needles coming at him. He didn't want to know what was going on. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up and be fixed and where the silly goggles that came with eye surgery. He did however try to think about what the upside of surgery would be. He didn't want Terri to win. She'd taken a lot from him, including his hope. Through emails, she made him promise after promise and eventually she took away every thing. Granted she took a lot more from Marley, but at least he got to meet Marley. "Marley," he thought quietly. "I really want to see her, properly," he said to the empty space. He tried to build a game plan in his head. He was going to have this surgery, even though he was terrified, then he was going to see Marley properly, stand her in front of a mirror and show her how beautiful she was.<p>

He was lying and thinking when he caught a quick movement out of the corner of his good eye, so he simply laid there, completely still and listened. "Noah, I hope you hears me," Marley whispered into the quiet apartment. She crawled over to him and spoke very softly. "So, I want you to hear me but still stay sleeping. Mommy said you are scared. I would be scared too, but you have to try and hear me and remember something," she said softly. "Terri was a big, mean, terrible person. She did all these bad things, and maybe she meant them and maybe she didn't, but the second we don't make ourselves better, when we don't fight, no matter how scary it is, she wins. She isn't a nice person anymore. She might have been at some point, but she isn't now. She doesn't deserve to win. So I want you to be scared and ask for help and feel whatever you need to feel, but don't let her win okay?" she asked. "I hope you hear me," she said softly.

She fell quiet again and collected her thoughts. "And, I"m not mad at you for yesterday no more. I mean, maybe a little, because it was just a game and I just wanted to play with you. You're the only person who really gets it. At least I thought you did, but then I had a very long, very boring talk with Mommy and Mama and Papa and Auntie Quinn too and they said that I didn't remember something. They said you said, you never wanted to be someone's baby and I did. Terri was just mean to both of us, but she was so mean to me, that she made me think what I want was a bad thing. Then I got Mommy and Mama and Papa and they showed me it wasn't. I'd like to out of these diapers and I'd like to walk on my own and all of that, but sometimes, I just have to be a baby girl, because it makes me feel safer. Part of me wishes you were awake, so I know you heard me and part of me is glad you are asleep because this is really embarrassing for some reason," she sighed.

She took a very deep breath and decided she had to wake him up, at least for a minute to tell him something important. She wanted him to know this before he had his surgery and she didn't know who all was going to the hospital. "Noah," she hissed. "Noah, wake up for like eight seconds, then you can sleep again," she said.

He moaned a bit and wiggled around and tried to sleepily open his eyes. "Mar-ley?" he asked quietly.

"Hey, you have L's," she smiled.

"Only until I talk louder," he said softly.

"Try?" she asked him.

"Mar-ree," he said in a normal voice.

"We get you teacher and make it stronger. I'm really happy for you. I'm sorry to wake you, but I want you to know this before you go for surgery okay?" she asked and he nodded at her. "I love you and I'm glad you're with us. I can't promise that I'll always be a big girl or anything like that, but I do love you and I wanted you to hear that directly from me, and not anyone else. You have to know it's true," she told him.

"Marley," he said quietly, crooking his finger at her so she could come closer to him. "I love you too," he whispered and then he kissed her.

It was strange at first, but started to feel better the longer it went on, until finally it felt time to stop kissing. "That was heaven, so now you better do amazing in surgery, because I want to do that again," Marley smiled.

"You want to lay here with me until I have to get up?" Noah offered.

Marley nodded and he scooted around on the couch, making space for her, until they were spooning and eventually fell back to sleep.

In the other room Santana was standing in the doorway and her heart broke a little bit. She heard everything Marley had said to Noah and now they were cuddled together. She decided to leave well enough alone and crawled back into her own bed. The Mommies were in the middle and the kids were on the outside, so they had the freedom to leave the bed if they chose. Santana slipped into bed and very carefully let her hand graze Quinn's body, slipping it beneath her pajamas and running it up between her breasts, using her finger tips to tickle Quinn's collar bone.

Quinn grabbed her hand quickly and held it still. "There are kids!" she hissed with her eyes still closed.

"No there are not," Santana told her seriously and Quinn looked around. "They're spooning on the couch and kissing," she said.

"You better not be playing Santana!" Quinn scolded.

"I am not, I saw it with my own eyes, unless she was giving him a blow job," she said and Quinn laughed and used her other hand to smack Santana's hip.

"Dirty," she said.

"Yes, but that is why you love me," Santana said and she rolled her body on top of Quinn's and spoke softly. "I want a house. You and me, and our two little loves, and Berry and Hummel," she said. "I want a house with all six of us. We're a very strange family, but it works, and I want it," she said.

"And you will get your wish as soon as Kurt truly has his payments, and we talk to a realtor. None of what you want will happen without that," Quinn reminded her.

"Then I want to call today. It's time to get this started. We need space," she said.

"You do have a phone," Quinn sassed and then she moved Santana's hand out from under her shirt.

"Hey," she pouted.

"Hey nothing. I have a young man to attend to, and make sure he's calm. There is a lot happening for him today, so no, you can not play right now. If you want to play, you will wait," Quinn said in her Mistress voice and Santana smiled. It was such a turn on to hear her girlfriend talk to her like that.

"God, you're hot," Santana breathed and she leaned down and captured Quinn in a hungry kiss, drawing the air out of Quinn's lungs until there was almost nothing left.

"You're a brat," Quinn told her once it broke. She gave her a quick kiss to her lips and then quickly got out of bed before Santana could make any more advances. She was definitely trying. She almost reminded Quinn of a snake. Eyes locked, senses heightened, prey in sight. Snixx was a very fitting name for her. Quinn moved to the doorway and saw no children at all, so she went over to the couch to investigate. The kids were spooned together on the couch and both appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "Coming?" Quinn asked.

"No, I'm going back to sleep for a little while," Santana smirked.

Quinn rolled her eyes and focused back on the "kids". Marley was closer to the front of the couch, so Quinn started to work on her first. She very gently laid her hand on Marley's cheek and spoke firmly, being sure not to make her voice too sing songy. Marley tended to scream when she heard tones like that.

"Lady Bug, you have to wake up sweetheart. Auntie Quinn needs to get Noah ready for his surgery today," she said and Marley let out a little moan and wiggled for a moment. "Come on Lady Bug, open your eyes, look at Auntie," Quinn said gently and finally Marley's eyes opened.

"Hi Auntie," she smiled softly.

"Hi Lady Bug, I'm glad to see you and Noah are cuddling up close together," she smiled.

"He's my friend," Marley told her and Quinn smiled, petting her cheek. "Auntie, I know he's very scared, but I told him he has to be brave, because if he doesn't be brave, then Terri wins and that's very bad," she said seriously.

"That is a very good to hear my Lady bug. You are a very smart girl, I'm very proud of you for telling Noah that. Do you think we should wake him up now though? We can wake him up and make sure he eats so he's all ready to go in and face his surgery," Quinn said.

"Mmm, Papa said he needs, energy an some-fin ess," she smiled slipping into her younger state. It was much less frightening there and Baby Girl Marley could help her brother, while Big Girl Marley was scared and insecure, but still loved Noah. It was just frightening to know that once he got his vision back completely, there was the potential for him to say he wanted nothing to do with her. That was too scary to deal with right now.

"Yes he does," Quinn said. "He has to have a good breakfast to give him energy so when he goes to lay down and the doctors tell him to be still he can use his own muscles to do so. He's going to do so well today and then when he's ready to come home, he's going to get a very cool pair of glasses and then start his therapy to make sure his eyes stay nice and strong," Quinn explained. "But first we have to wake him. Do you want to wake him, or should I?" Quinn asked.

"Me, buh how I does it?" Marley asked softly.

"It's very simple. You just very gently rub your hand over some part of his body and say his name kindly to help call him out of sleep," Quinn explained. "Do you know where you want to rub him gently?" Quinn asked.

"Um, his cheek," Marley said softly.

"We can do that," Quinn smiled, nodding at her. "Try Lady Bug, you try to wake him first," Quinn offered.

"Noah," she said softly and she very gently ran her hand over his cheek and he stirred slightly.

"That was good baby girl, try again," Quinn smiled.

"Noah, time to get up. Auntie Quinn is taking you to get all fixed," Marley said choosing her words carefully. She wanted to sound positive and upbeat about things, rather than remind him what he was about to do was a terrifying experience.

He let his eyes flutter open and smiled, speaking very softly. "Hi Marley," he whispered.

"Hi," she grinned at him. "I give you kisses, den you get up and we can has beh'fiss togeth-ah," she smiled at him.

"Okay," he agreed and he puckered his lips a bit. She leaned in, gave him a sweet kiss and he thought his body was going to explode. It was such a wonderful feeling.

"What would you like for breakfast my darlings?" Quinn asked.

"Me too?" Marley questioned.

"Of course you too my sweet girl. I have two young loves that I like taking care of," Quinn said. "Unless you don't want me to. The choice is now and always will be yours," she said kindly.

"No, I want p'ease. I hungry," she said and then turned to Noah. "You hungry too?" she asked him and he thought for a moment before nodding.

"Okay then my darlings, tell me what you'd like," she said.

"Pancakes please," Noah said quietly.

"Oooh, chocolate chip ones please Auntie," Marley smiled.

"You two buddy? Or just play?" Quinn offered.

"Me too," he smiled.

"Alright then. Both of you need to get up and come to the kitchen table please. I have a very special project for the two of you, while I cook okay?" she asked.

"Special?" Marley asked.

"Yes, very special and you two are just the ones to help me out," she grinned. It took some doing but eventually the "kids" were at the table and Quinn handed Marley a piece of paper and a pencil with a good eraser on it. "Now, you must work on this together, understand?" Quinn asked.

"What are we working on Mommy?" Noah asked tiredly and Quinn smiled. He was trying to be brave and learn to feel safe in a younger state of mind, but he was also still struggling with it. She talked to Santana. She understood what the problem was. He was still learning where he was most comfortable and she was hoping this project would help them out. "Okay my loves, you two are going to put your very smart, very powerful brains together and imagine us up a house," Quinn said.

"For who?" Marley asked with confusion.

"For everyone. The two of you, me, Santana, Mama Rae, and Papa Kurt," Quinn said.

"Re-ee?" Noah asked loudly and excitedly, his L's gone again since he was loud and excited.

"Yes buddy, really. You two can draw together, or you can help Marley and tell her where to draw the lines, but if you two were going to design a house for all six of us to live in, what would it look like?" Quinn asked.

"Mommy likes red," Marley said.

"Well we can work on interior decorating later, because that is very helpful information. What I want right now is a drawing of what you think the house would look like as a structure," she said.

"Ike a ba-roo pah-rint Mommy?" Noah asked curiously.

"Exactly my love. Exactly like a blue print. Do you two think you can do that together?" she asked and he nodded excitedly.

"I need he'p," Marley announced raising her hand.

"What's up Lady Bug?" Quinn asked kindly.

"I don't know what you said Auntie. What's it?"

"I can teh you how to d-aw it," Noah offered.

"I don't understand," Marley whined.

"Hey, hey, hey, no whining," Quinn said and she set the batter aside and walked over to the table. "I'll show you sweetheart. Noah and I will show you together," she explained.

"Tell me what you're thinking bud," Quinn said kindly.

"When you wah'k in the door," he started and Quinn drew a big square on the paper, before pulling her hand back to the bottom and waiting. "Big hall way in front," he said and he closed his eyes and began to speak softer, but describe everything perfectly. Marley was in awe of his vision and foresight. "In the hall, a small bathroom to the right, just a little toilet and sink. To the left a big staircase maybe. On the other side of the the stair case is the living room, and then it goes down into the kitchen, around the back, and to the other side, which could be, um," he said pausing.

"A game room. Toys for me, an' Noah, an' Mommy," she said.

"What toys does Mommy have?" Quinn asked her kindly.

"I don't know, she won't let me see dem or play wif dem yet she said."

"Santana, you're little girl ratted you out! Hurry up!" Quinn called into the bedroom and then she kissed Marley's forehead. "You did nothing wrong, I promise you. No one is mad, you told the truth, and Mommy got caught in a lie. I'm not even mad at Mommy, okay?' she asked and Marley nodded. "Now, look here and see what I did, and then when you and Noah are ready you can continue."

"What if I make a wrong line?" she asked with concern.

"That is why pencils have erasers," she smiled at her and with one more kiss to each of them, Quinn went back to making breakfast.

* * *

><p>Quinn was pacing the hallway. Noah had been in surgery for an hour now and she'd been cuddling with Marley for a bit, but Marley started to freak out because Quinn was so tense about the situation. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor," a voice said behind her and she turned around to see Rachel and wrapped her in the tightest hug she could.<p>

"Why Mama here?" Marley asked softly.

"I don't know. Mama should be at work," Santana said gaining their attention.

"I don't get to come see my boy when he's done with surgery? I can't show him he has my support?" Rachel asked and Marley stood up and hugged her tightly.

"You can. He'll like that. I told him before he went in, that we are all his family and waiting for him when he wakes up," Marley said.

"I thought you had a job," Santana said calmly.

"I did and now I'm done, and as it turns out I can help contribute a little bit more money to our fund as well."

"For our house that we drawed?" Marley asked excitedly.

"Yes," Rachel smiled. "Mama got a job with an audio book company. An author came to one of my shows, liked my voice, tracked me down and now I'll be paid to read his books on tape," she smiled. "The contract went through today and I'll be making a very decent salary," she said happily.

"I'm very proud of you," Santana told her and Rachel beamed.

"She's made you softer and I love it!" Rachel said and she kissed her cheek. The girls were trying to keep Quinn occupied when they saw Kurt running down the hallway.

"Papa!" Marley cheered. "Mommy, Noah be so happy, all us is here," she said slipping into her younger state and Santana simply pet her face and kissed her cheek.

"Did I miss it, is he up yet?" Kurt asked and Quinn wrapped him in a hug and shook her head no.

"Nervous Nelly over there, is waiting for a nurse or doctor to come get us," Santana said pointing to Quinn.

"It's taking too long, I'm afraid something's gone wrong," Quinn said and just as they were about to reassure her a nurse came around the corner and she looked annoyed.

"Are you all family to Noah?" she asked.

"Yes, is he okay?" Quinn asked quickly, practically attacking the nurse.

"See Mommy, you right, Auntie Zilla," Marley said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Fresh," Santana teased and she gave her a kiss.

"He's fine, he is asking for five people though, and that is not hospital policy. Only family or guardians are allowed back and Quinn quickly produced some paper work.

"We are all his guardians, so we are all allowed in thank you very much," she said.

"What about her," the nurse asked pointing to Marley.

"That is his sister, kindly stop talking to her like she's a potted plant and take me to see my nephew," Quinn demanded. The nurse looked over the paperwork and nodded, although she didn't look too thrilled and lead the small group back to the recovery room.

Noah was sitting up in bed and his face lit up when she saw his family walk in and then tears sprung to his eyes. His family. It felt so nice to say it and even nicer to think it. It must have meant he truly believed it.

They all surrounded him and Marley spoke up first as she carefully crawled up onto the bed and took his hand. "Guess what," she smiled. "Mama is gonna help us with the new house. You and I are gonna help design it, and we're all going to live there and you and me is gonna get better as fast as we can," Marley grinned.

"I see you Marley, and you're beautiful," Noah told her and the others all beamed. He truly loved her and she seemed to love him as well. It was another step on her road to recovery.

"I love you Noah," Marley said and she leaned forward and gave him sweet quick kiss.

"So we're all moving in together, into a new house then? Is that our new plan?" Rachel asked.

"No," Santana laughed softly. "The new plan is as follows. My family is going to go back to our apartment and for a little while we're going to fight and step on each other and be in the way and very cramped. However we are going to be building a new house, one that everyone helps to design so we are all happy. We are going to celebrate Marley's birthday as a family. We are going to celebrate Noah's recovery, as a family, and we are going to celebrate all the little celebrations that we come across between now and forever as a family. Everything will get done in its correct time, but for now, we just take baby steps. Agreed?"

Everyone agreed and they all settled in, waiting for Noah's discharge papers to come through and Marley was beaming. She may have been through hell and was on her way back, but she managed to find the family and acceptance she'd been looking for. Baby steps were fine with her.


End file.
